What does "self-attention" mean?

A form of attention (machine learning method) where input sequence is compared with itself, i.e. the keys and queries are the same.

Self-attention

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
A form of attention (machine learning method) where input sequence is compared with itself, i.e. the keys and queries are the same. uncountable
2
Conscious attention to one's own physiological and emotional state and behavior. uncountable
"According to self-attention theory in general, it can be predicted that heightened self-attention leads to a closer fit between observed behavior and some underlying salient standard."

Antonyms

All antonyms

cross-attention

Example

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"According to self-attention theory in general, it can be predicted that heightened self-attention leads to a closer fit between observed behavior and some underlying salient standard."

Etymology

From self- + attention.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.