self-preservation

American  

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

noun

1. preservation of oneself from harm or destruction.

---

self-preservation British  

noun

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

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-preserving
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of self-preservation

First recorded in 1605–15

Example Sentences

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

I deemed this an act of maturity and self-preservation, definitely not cowardice.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

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

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

Every second spent on the mountain is a second spent deciding whether to go for broke or pull back out of self-preservation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

An instinct for self-preservation told me to run, and I was running.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides