self-protection

American  

[self-pruh-tek-shuhn, self-] / ˈsɛlf prəˈtɛk ʃən, ˌsɛlf- /

noun

1. protection of oneself or itself.

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self-protection British  

noun

1. the act or an instance of protecting or defending oneself

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Other Word Forms

• self-protecting adjective
• self-protective adjective
• self-protectiveness noun

Etymology

Origin of self-protection

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

She explains that children often lie instinctively as a form of self-protection to avoid being told off and adults may also lie automatically in moments of panic.

From BBC

Women will often align themselves with the dominant person in a room as a form of self-protection, she explained.

From Salon

“I realized I wasn’t going to survive, so I made it my full-time job to defeminize myself as a form of self-protection.”

From The Wall Street Journal

“Fear is a powerful motivator, and today we’re seeing how fear can galvanize people into making decisions for their own self-protection,” Brown says.

From Los Angeles Times

That focus on self-protection is largely overlooked in the negative reactions to 4B in the U.S., but it shouldn't be.

From Salon