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

This is a person who's looking out purely for their own self-interest, self-preservation. —ABC News, 21 Sep. 2025

Success without self-preservation isn’t success. —Anastasia Paruntseva, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025

Much of the 31-year-old comic’s material revolves around getting by in an increasingly stupid world — half-hearted attempts at self-improvement, if not self-preservation. —Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025

If removal occurs here — under rules drafted by the very officials who benefit from them, rushed forward without limits — it will be remembered not as accountability but as self-preservation. —Matthew J. Frauenfeld, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025

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