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

All of these actions help build brains that support self-regulation, resilience, literacy and empathy. — Dana Suskind, Md, CNBC, 29 July 2026

While attorneys and crisis consultants focus on legal and messages, my work centered on values, emotional self-regulation and helping the leader show up as a human being under intense scrutiny. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

After all, kids struggle with flying and often lack the self-regulation skills required to be patient throughout the experience. — Maressa Brown, Parents, 24 July 2026

In contrast, growing concerns have emerged around constant exposure to fast-paced, short-form content, which might limit the development of attention span, impulse control and self-regulation skills that children need to succeed in school and everyday life. — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 27 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1698, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-regulation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration