she

We don’t traditionally think of she as having synonyms, but there are some situations in which it can be reworded or replaced with another word or phrase.

she herself

Sometimes, the phrase she herself is used to emphasize that a person did something entirely by herself or that it was done by her as opposed to others. For example, saying She cast the deciding vote may be a neutral statement, but saying She herself cast the deciding vote indicates that there was some significance to the fact that it was she who did it.

her

Sometimes a sentence can be reworded to replace the subject she with the equivalent object her. For example, the question “When do you expect she will arrive?” could be reworded as “When do you expect her to arrive?” In this case, it’s a more natural-sounding question, but this kind of rewording can be done for a number of reasons.

Her is also commonly used after linking verbs (like is and was) in sentences like It was her that I saw on the train or It is her in that picture. 

She is used to stand in for more specific words, like Dr. Harris, Jennifer, or the pilot. So, if there’s a chance that using she might be confusing (such as when more than one woman is mentioned in the sentence), you can always use the name or title of the person instead of referring to her as she.

Take this sentence, for example: “If we invite Mrs. Smith’s daughter, do you think she would come?”

The she in this sentence could refer to Mrs. Smith or her daughter, so it may be more clear to reword it as: “If we invite Mrs. Smith’s daughter, do you think her daughter would come?” (or by replacing she with Mrs. Smith, if that’s what you mean). Of course, there are a number of other ways to say this, including using a specific name.

In some situations, it can be considered impolite to refer to someone as she or her when that person is in your presence—especially when you haven’t already acknowledged them or addressed them by name. To avoid this, it’s always best to refer to a person by name, especially when it’s the first time you’re referring to them.

She is a personal pronoun. Pronouns are used as substitutes for nouns—they’re another way of referring to a noun without using a specific name. Personal pronouns are used to refer to the speaker, to the person being addressed, or the person being talked about.

She is categorized as a third person pronoun (like he, they, him, her, and them), meaning it’s used to refer to anyone other than the person doing the communicating or the people being addressed.

In contrast, first person pronouns (like I and me) refer to the speaker or writer themselves, and the second person pronoun you is used to address the person being spoken to or reading.

She is used as a subject. Its object counterpart is her.