self-sustaining
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of self-sustaining
First recorded in 1835–45
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 move could be a step towards Musk's mission to build a self-sustaining city on Mars - a vision that has invited sceptics but also plenty of backers.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
While the German economy is slowly emerging from the stagnation of recent years, that recovery isn’t yet self-sustaining, ZEW President Achim Wambach said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
Their calculations suggest that changing the order in which plasma is heated and compressed could dramatically reduce the energy needed to reach a self-sustaining fusion reaction.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026
Lithium-ion battery fires are challenging to combat as excessive heat inside a battery creates a self-sustaining chemical reaction called thermal runaway that can then easily spread to adjacent batteries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
It would have lacked the energy to sustain itself under normal conditions, however, the fission bomb provides it with all the energy it requires to grow and become self-sustaining.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
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