self-regulating
Americanadjective
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adjusting, ruling, or governing itself without outside interference; operating or functioning without externally imposed controls or regulations.
a self-regulating economy; the self-regulating market.
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functioning automatically.
a self-regulating machine.
adjective
Etymology
Origin of self-regulating
First recorded in 1830–40
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“The companies are moving very fast and external regulation is moving slower — the IPO event itself might be a self-regulating event,” Bala said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
This would be modeled after the self-regulating organization that oversees stockbrokers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
That agreement provides independent support for the idea that cooling gas, magnetic fields, and black hole jets work together in a self-regulating cycle.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026
His "excessive reliance on the self-regulating aspects of markets seemed dangerously naive, and eventually blew up in his face and everybody's face," Blinder told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jun. 22, 2026
The self-regulating machine is not just a crucial step towards a whole series of more advanced technologies.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
