self-preservation

noun

self-pres·​er·​va·​tion ˌself-ˌpre-zər-ˈvā-shən 

1

: preservation of oneself from destruction or harm

2

: a natural or instinctive tendency to act so as to preserve one's own existence

Examples of self-preservation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For Putin, these were not goodwill gestures but measures of self-preservation designed to advance his broader aim of subjugating Ukraine. — Eric Ciaramella, Foreign Affairs, 14 Oct. 2026

Flaco the owl became a celebrity Central Park resident, with breathless news coverage of Flaco’s impressive self-preservation skills and, eventually, mournful obituaries when Flaco died after flying into a building. — Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2026

Nargeolet’s family have sued OceanGate, and Dawood says she’s been asked to join lawsuits, but doesn’t want to out of self-preservation. — Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026

That’s probably out of necessity because a lot of these guys and gals probably do that for self-preservation because things get so dark. — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1614, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for self-preservation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Kids Definition

self-preservation

noun

self-pres·​er·​va·​tion

ˌself-ˌprez-ər-ˈvā-shən

: the keeping of oneself from destruction or harm