an end in itself
noun phrase
: something that one does because one wants to and not because it will help achieve or accomplish something else
She started exercising for her health, but she enjoyed it so much that exercising became an end in itself.
For him, taking classes was an end in itself.
Examples of an end in itself in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For younger generations, work is not an end in itself.
—
Andrei Cretu, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
Reels music is simply an end in itself, slop so sloppy it’s become its own sort of sonic font, an aesthetic guaranteed to rack up people raging and engaging in the comments.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 21 May 2025
Whatever lasting arguments his theory might have ignited seem to have given way to an understanding of an endowment as an end in itself, a stand-in for a university’s purpose, a rejection of the idea that underlying a belief in institutional eternity is an alienating self-regard.
—Ginia Bellafante, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
Like in every domain, AI is a means to an end, not an end in itself.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
What the show captures so acutely is that for many consumers, luxury ownership is no longer an end in itself.
—Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
However, wealth should not be an end in itself, but rather an outcome of the generation of real value.
—Paul Laudicina, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Washington, for its part, treated the preservation of the relationship as an end in itself.
—A. Wess Mitchell, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Coe’s analysis of literary movements and practices is not an end in itself, or merely a plea for his populist-highbrow aesthetic.
—Leo Robson, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
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Andrei Cretu, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
Reels music is simply an end in itself, slop so sloppy it’s become its own sort of sonic font, an aesthetic guaranteed to rack up people raging and engaging in the comments.
—Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 21 May 2025
Whatever lasting arguments his theory might have ignited seem to have given way to an understanding of an endowment as an end in itself, a stand-in for a university’s purpose, a rejection of the idea that underlying a belief in institutional eternity is an alienating self-regard.
—Ginia Bellafante, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025
Like in every domain, AI is a means to an end, not an end in itself.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2025
What the show captures so acutely is that for many consumers, luxury ownership is no longer an end in itself.
—Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
However, wealth should not be an end in itself, but rather an outcome of the generation of real value.
—Paul Laudicina, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
Washington, for its part, treated the preservation of the relationship as an end in itself.
—A. Wess Mitchell, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
Coe’s analysis of literary movements and practices is not an end in itself, or merely a plea for his populist-highbrow aesthetic.
—Leo Robson, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“An end in itself.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/an%20end%20in%20itself. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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