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

And, once selected, these leaders adhere to a strict code of conduct and undergo intensive training and certification requirements, all of which prize discipline and self-regulation. — Emelia S. Probasco, Foreign Affairs, 20 Aug. 2026

The most direct precedent for a frontier lab restricting a model with this kind of capability was not self-regulation. — Ashish Bhatia, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026

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

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