self-protection

noun

self-pro·​tec·​tion ˌself-prə-ˈtek-shən 

plural self-protections

: the act of protecting oneself, one's property, or one's group : self-defense

kept a bat under the bed for self-protection

… found that conflict-affected communities often develop sophisticated self-protection strategies …

—Lisa Fuller

GEMINI … A painful past makes you guard your feelings, but such self-protection can lead to isolation and missed opportunities.

—Harper's Bazaar

—sometimes used before another noun

self-protection techniques

a self-protection seminar

Examples of self-protection in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Nearly everything Irene does here is monstrous, and yet Corsini never stops encouraging viewers to search for the heartbroken woman suddenly obscured by a wild avatar of self-protection. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 24 July 2026

After such traumatic, unprovoked attacks, Iraqi Kurdistan would doubtlessly welcome any opportunity to acquire air defenses for self-protection. — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Many young people today have been diagnosed with depression and avoid TV, where the vast majority of stories are negative, as a form of self-protection. — Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 20 July 2026

And drug literature can be a hard sell for some, especially if the reader feels anxious about their own coolness, and develops a sort of you-won’t-impress-me-so-there carapace in advance as a form of self-protection. — Literary Hub, 25 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1635, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-protection

• circumspection
• disaffection
• disconnection
• disinfection
• dorsiflexion
• imperfection
• indirection
• insurrection
• intellection
• interjection
• intersection
• introjection