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self-preservation

American

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

noun

preservation of oneself from harm or destruction.

self-preservation British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

self-preserving

adjective

Etymology

Origin of self-preservation

First recorded in 1605–15

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.

See Examples For:

self-preservation

When faced with a legitimate mass threat to human life, many people would abandon mutuality and compassion in favor of self-preservation.

From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026

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

For Caroline, the distance has been a necessary means of self-preservation.

From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2026

Monday lied with matter-of-fact precision, in a self-preservation type of way.

From "Monday's Not Coming" by Tiffany D. Jackson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023