self-referential UK /ˈsɛlf ɹɛfəˈɹɛnʃl/US /ˈsɛlf ˌɹɛfəˈɹɛn(t)ʃəl/ adjective2 •That refers to itself or oneself.What makes Scream so effective, and so timeless, is that it’s both a winking and self-referential breakdown of the tropes of the horror genre and a nearly flawless embodiment of the same. — 2017 •In a literary work: referring to the author or the author's other works. formsmore self-referential · most self-referential