Self-referential

The answer to “Self-referential” in the New York Times crossword is META — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on May 31, 2026, a Sunday puzzle, at 90-Down. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Self-referential” answer

META (4 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is META.

Why the answer is META

A playful term for something that comments on or points back to itself. 🔄

What does META mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of META is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

When else has “Self-referential” appeared?

New York Times reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

May 31, 2026 (most recent) → META. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

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