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

According to a recent survey by Kickresume, 44% of workers are hiding out in office restrooms to regain self-regulation when feeling overwhelmed. —Bybryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026

Initial word of the commission’s formation buoyed the hopes of journalists eager to upgrade their image, extol press freedom, and demonstrate the industry’s capacity for self-regulation. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 May 2026

The Montessori model encourages children to develop internal discipline and self-regulation, which builds long-term independence. —Jose Bolaños, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026

The optics there are not good, but, but yeah, mostly this ends up being kind of industry self-regulation and that just doesn’t really work. —Torie Bosch, STAT, 11 Apr. 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