self-preserving
adjective
self-pre·serv·ing
ˌself-pri-ˈzər-viŋ 
: acting or tending to preserve oneself or itself
self-preserving instincts/behavior
It's a novel about whether, amid the absurd twists and cruelties of life, you end up being a self-preserving observer of the fray, a committed fighter against overwhelming odds, or something uncomfortably in between.—
Kenneth Kid
Kenneth KidExamples of self-preserving in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Crack Cloud – Red Mile Jagjaguwar Crack Cloud began in 2015 as a self-preserving creative outlet.
—Margaret Farrell, SPIN, 26 July 2024
That shift may also reflect a self-preserving political recalibration after redistricting made her once-competitive seat redder ahead of the 2022 election.
—Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 9 June 2024
Doubling down on fruitpologies strikes me as self-preserving more than anything.
—Sanibel Chai, ELLE, 25 May 2023
Lush reports that around 90% of its core range in 2022 was self-preserving, and 86.9% of global Lush product sales between 2021 and 2022 were from customers purchasing self-preserving products.
—Liz Leavitt, refinery29.com, 1 Mar. 2023
Margaret Farrell, SPIN, 26 July 2024
That shift may also reflect a self-preserving political recalibration after redistricting made her once-competitive seat redder ahead of the 2022 election.
—Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 9 June 2024
Doubling down on fruitpologies strikes me as self-preserving more than anything.
—Sanibel Chai, ELLE, 25 May 2023
Lush reports that around 90% of its core range in 2022 was self-preserving, and 86.9% of global Lush product sales between 2021 and 2022 were from customers purchasing self-preserving products.
—Liz Leavitt, refinery29.com, 1 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-preserving.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near self-preserving
Cite this Entry
“Self-preserving.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-preserving. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
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