self-sustaining

adjective

self-sus·​tain·​ing ˌself-sə-ˈstā-niŋ 

1

: maintaining or able to maintain oneself or itself by independent effort

a self-sustaining community

2

: maintaining or able to maintain itself once commenced

a self-sustaining nuclear reaction

Synonyms of self-sustaining

• independent

Examples of self-sustaining in a Sentence

with its own farm, the estate was largely self-sustaining

Recent Examples on the Web

Your best chance of spotting a whooping crane is along the Texas coast, where the world’s only self-sustaining wild population returns each winter after migrating from Canada. — Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 June 2026

Feral populations spring up as result of these self-sustaining domestic animals fending for themselves. — Madeline Gunderson, USA Today, 17 June 2026

In total, 81 individuals were captured across the two sites, including juveniles, adult males, and pregnant adult females, which indicated a self-sustaining population. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 17 June 2026

Revenue from player transfers, media rights, and matchday income should be self-sustaining. — Wael Mahdi, semafor.com, 16 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1797, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for self-sustaining

• appertaining
• ascertaining
• entertaining
• uncomplaining
• abstaining
• attaining
• campaigning
• complaining
• constraining
• containing
• detaining
• disdaining