self-regulation

noun

self-reg·​u·​la·​tion ˌself-ˌre-gyə-ˈlā-shən 

-ˌre-gə-,

 also  -ˌrā-

plural self-regulations

: the act or condition or an instance of regulating oneself or itself: such as

a

: control or supervision from within instead of by an external authority

the online marketing industry's self-regulation of consumer privacy protections

also : a rule imposed in self-regulation

Banks were left to largely manage themselves, and establish industry-wide self-regulations …

—Kevin Plummer

According to the Federal Trade Commission, food marketing cannot be false, deceptive or unfair. But there are other, more specific, self-regulations out there for ads related to kids.

—Alexandra Sifferlin

b

: the bringing of oneself or itself into a state of order, method, or uniformity

self-regulation of an ecosystem

emotional self-regulation

Examples of self-regulation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The author shares three simple approaches to enhance three specific aspects of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, and positive connections. —Emma Seppälä, Harvard Business Review, 26 June 2024

Preschool is essential; little kids’ brains are growing at incredible rates, and teaching preschoolers requires an incredible amount of self-regulation. —Aundrea Tabbs-Smith, Hartford Courant, 30 June 2024

Ecosystems might not compete and reproduce the way organisms and species do, but some scholars have proposed that they should be regarded as living entities capable of self-regulation and evolution. —Ferris Jabr, The Atlantic, 25 June 2024

The Federal Aviation Administration’s scrutiny of Boeing should continue, and more broadly, policymakers and legislators should take the company’s continuous debacles over the past few years as a sign that the promise of industry self-regulation is a farce. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1698, in the meaning defined above