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
Examples of self-sustaining in a Sentence
with its own farm, the estate was largely self-sustaining
Recent Examples on the Web
Not that there is much need to leave what is becoming a fully self-sustaining sanctuary.
—
Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 10 June 2026
The neighborhood was one of the most artistically flush, self-sustaining Black communities on the West Coast until a 1949 urban renewal plan kickstarted the displacement and neglect still going on today.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 4 June 2026
As previously reported, Silo is set in a self-sustaining underground city inhabited by a community whose recorded history dates back only 140 years.
—ArsTechnica, 2 June 2026
Sartori surveys the lagoon weekly by boat for signs of nesting, which would indicate a self-sustaining Venetian colony.
—ABC News, 30 May 2026
When businesses are thriving, the neighborhood becomes self-sustaining.
—Mercury News Editorial Board, Mercury News, 29 May 2026
Once that happens, adoption becomes self-sustaining.
—Rob Giglio, Fortune, 28 May 2026
Besides the Vostok spacecraft simulators and actual classrooms, Star City, also became its own self-sustaining community over the years with the addition of parks, schools, gym, church, post office, pharmacy, rehab facilities, and a movie theater.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 27 May 2026
Rock and roll was clearly not a phase, empty calories to consume until the time arrived for heartier fare, but rather something self-sustaining, a means to make a life.
—David L. Ulin, The Atlantic, 11 May 2026
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Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 10 June 2026
The neighborhood was one of the most artistically flush, self-sustaining Black communities on the West Coast until a 1949 urban renewal plan kickstarted the displacement and neglect still going on today.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 4 June 2026
As previously reported, Silo is set in a self-sustaining underground city inhabited by a community whose recorded history dates back only 140 years.
—ArsTechnica, 2 June 2026
Sartori surveys the lagoon weekly by boat for signs of nesting, which would indicate a self-sustaining Venetian colony.
—ABC News, 30 May 2026
When businesses are thriving, the neighborhood becomes self-sustaining.
—Mercury News Editorial Board, Mercury News, 29 May 2026
Once that happens, adoption becomes self-sustaining.
—Rob Giglio, Fortune, 28 May 2026
Besides the Vostok spacecraft simulators and actual classrooms, Star City, also became its own self-sustaining community over the years with the addition of parks, schools, gym, church, post office, pharmacy, rehab facilities, and a movie theater.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 27 May 2026
Rock and roll was clearly not a phase, empty calories to consume until the time arrived for heartier fare, but rather something self-sustaining, a means to make a life.
—David L. Ulin, The Atlantic, 11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-sustaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-sustaining. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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