From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishself-containedˌself-conˈtained adjective 1 COMPLETEcomplete and not needing other things or help from somewhere else to work a self-contained database package2 INDEPENDENT PERSONsomeone who is self-contained does not seem to need other people or show their feelings3 British EnglishDHH a self-contained apartment has its own kitchen and bathroom
Examples from the Corpus
self-contained• But his style was always to seem self-contained.• All that Mrs Browning required of her, surely, was that she should be docile and self-contained and grateful.• It helps you see your points in one self-contained area.• Nor is the law as self-contained as social security law; many employment cases require a command of principles of contract law.• As with any isolated and largely self-contained community the agricultural village was often the object of a fierce loyalty among its inhabitants.• a self-contained heating unit• It too is a self-contained sys-tem yet open at the same time.• A closed loop is a self-contained unit that has no identifiable beginning or end, like a circle or an integrated circuit.• The model 311 gas chromatograph is a self-contained unit with an isothermal oven, heated injector and detectors. 