self-regulation

American  

[self-reg-yuh-ley-shuhn, self-] / ˌsɛlfˌrɛg jəˈleɪ ʃən, ˌsɛlf- /

noun

1. control by oneself or itself, as in an economy, business organization, etc., especially such control as exercised independently of governmental supervision, laws, or the like.

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Etymology

Origin of self-regulation

First recorded in 1685–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

self-regulation

Testifying to Congress in 2008, Greenspan acknowledged that maybe self-regulation, that watchword of his economic worldview, didn’t work.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026

The rise of gentle parenting added emotional complexity to this labor, turning every toddler tantrum into an opportunity for a measured lesson in self-regulation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026

Despite another two-plus centuries of self-regulation and government regulation, the line between honest men and knaves on Wall Street remains fluid.

From Barron's ● Mar. 1, 2026

Bogotá’s unorthodox mayor, Antanas Mockus—who rose to fame after mooning student protesters and deployed mimes to control traffic—viewed the activity as a gambit “to achieve self-regulation in the behavior among citizens.”

From Slate ● Dec. 22, 2024

Then I would recall her manner the last evening she was with us, when, although her want of self-regulation was very apparent, not less so was the native nobleness and purity of her soul.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 12, No. 73, November, 1863 by Various