'autosuggestion' originates from the Greek element 'autós' meaning 'self' and the Latin-derived word 'suggestion' (from Latin 'suggestio'/'suggerere'), where 'suggerere' meant 'to bring under, to propose'.

'autosuggestion' was coined and popularized in French as 'autosuggestion' (notably by Émile Coué in the early 20th century) and was subsequently adopted into English with the same form.

Initially it referred specifically to Coué's method of self-administered suggestion; over time it broadened to mean any self-directed suggestion or psychological phenomenon in which one's own suggestions influence thought or behavior.