ourself
ourself Lexical Profile
ourself Game Scores & Validity
• pronoun
Used instead of "ourselves" as a reflexive or emphatic pronoun when the speaker or writer is a single person using the royal, editorial, or generic "we".
"We must ask ourself whether this editorial policy truly serves a single reader."
A nonstandard variant of "ourselves" used to refer to a group of people.
"We decided to build the backyard deck ourself over the long weekend."
Word Nuance & Usage
In standard English, "ourselves" is the expected reflexive pronoun for plural subjects, whereas "ourself" is restricted to contexts where a single person uses the plural "we" (such as a monarch, editor, or generic speaker). Using "ourself" to refer to a plural group is widely considered nonstandard.
• Rhymes for ourself
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in Middle English as a compound of "our" and "self," originally serving as the standard reflexive pronoun before the pluralized form "ourselves" became dominant in the 16th century.