self-preservation

American  

[self-prez-er-vey-shuhn, self-] / ˈsɛlfˌprɛz ərˈveɪ ʃən, ˌsɛlf- /

noun

1. preservation of oneself from harm or destruction.

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self-preservation British  

noun

1. the preservation of oneself from danger or injury, esp as a basic instinct

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-preserving
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of self-preservation

First recorded in 1605–15

Example Sentences

Our legal system seems well prepared to scrutinize and punish their acts of self-preservation instead of examining the circumstances that made those acts necessary.

From Slate • Jun. 4, 2026

Even those with lives, careers and families are fundamentally lost, snared between their pursuit of personal justice and instinctual self-preservation.

From Salon • May 19, 2026

"The idea first developed as self-preservation," he explains, but it transformed the battlefield.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

“It was sort of like a self-preservation thing,” he adds.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

“I was beginning to think you had no sense of self-preservation at all.”

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer