end in itself

end in itself
*an end in itself
existing for its own sake; existing for no clear purpose. (*Typically: be \end in itself; become \end in itself.) •

For Bob, art is an end in itself. He doesn't hope to make any money from it.

Learning is an end in itself. Knowledge does not have to have a practical application.

* * *
{n. phr.} Something wanted for its own sake; a purpose, aim, or goal we want for itself alone and not as a way to something else. * /The miser never spent his gold because for him it was an end in itself./

Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

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  • end in itself — {n. phr.} Something wanted for its own sake; a purpose, aim, or goal we want for itself alone and not as a way to something else. * /The miser never spent his gold because for him it was an end in itself./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • end\ in\ itself — n. phr. Something wanted for its own sake; a purpose, aim, or goal we want for itself alone and not as a way to something else. The miser never spent his gold because for him it was an end in itself …   Словарь американских идиом

  • end in itself — a purpose or goal one wants for itself alone and not as a way to something else For some people travelling is an end in itself and the destination is not important …   Idioms and examples

  • end in itself — Something desired or aimed at or valued purely for its own sake, rather than as a means to anything else. See also good will, summum bonum …   Philosophy dictionary

  • an end in itself — if an activity or action is an end in itself, it is important to you not because it will help you to achieve something else, but because you enjoy doing it or think that it is important. Education should be an end in itself …   New idioms dictionary

  • end — [end] noun 1. STATISTICS MARKETING top/​bottom end a figure that is at the top or bottom end of a range is high or low in the range of possible figures that were expected: • The results were at the top end of previous market forecasts. 2.… …   Financial and business terms

  • (an) end in itself — an ˌend in itˈself idiom a thing that is itself important and not just a part of sth more important Main entry: ↑endidiom …   Useful english dictionary

  • end — end1 W1S1 [end] n ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(last part)¦ 2¦(finished)¦ 3¦(long object)¦ 4¦(tip/point)¦ 5¦(scale)¦ 6¦(connection)¦ 7¦(remaining piece)¦ 8¦(aim)¦ 9¦(part of an activity)¦ 10¦(sport)¦ …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • itself — [[t]ɪtse̱lf[/t]] ♦ 1) PRON REFL: v PRON, prep PRON Itself is used as the object of a verb or preposition when it refers to something that is the same thing as the subject of the verb. Scientists have discovered remarkable new evidence showing how …   English dictionary

  • end — {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun 1 furthest part of sth ADJECTIVE ▪ bottom, lower ▪ top, upper ▪ back, hind (esp. AmE), rear …   Collocations dictionary

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