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
Even without intentional misuse by bad actors, evaluations and studies highlight instances of deceptive and self-preserving behaviors emerging in advanced models, suggesting that AI may be developing strategies that conflict with human intent or oversight.
—Yoshua Bengio, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
Reports of advanced generative AI models, like Claude Opus 4, exhibiting autonomous, self-preserving behaviors only deepen those concerns.
—Nicole Tidei, Forbes.com, 5 Sep. 2025
And in the last six months, scientific evidence has mounted of self-preserving behavior, deception, hacking, cheating and lying by AI, Bengio says.
—Parmy Olson, Twin Cities, 28 May 2025
Falstaff is vitality incarnate — exuberant, excessive, grandiloquent, unashamedly self-preserving, defiant and fleshy, witty and roguish, an addict by personality and addictive to those who can’t help but love him.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025
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
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Yoshua Bengio, Time, 11 Dec. 2025
Reports of advanced generative AI models, like Claude Opus 4, exhibiting autonomous, self-preserving behaviors only deepen those concerns.
—Nicole Tidei, Forbes.com, 5 Sep. 2025
And in the last six months, scientific evidence has mounted of self-preserving behavior, deception, hacking, cheating and lying by AI, Bengio says.
—Parmy Olson, Twin Cities, 28 May 2025
Falstaff is vitality incarnate — exuberant, excessive, grandiloquent, unashamedly self-preserving, defiant and fleshy, witty and roguish, an addict by personality and addictive to those who can’t help but love him.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025
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
Cite this Entry
“Self-preserving.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-preserving. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025.
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