as in protective
intended to resist or prevent attack or aggression
a self-protective gesture to ward off the blow
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Recent Examples of self-protective
Just as with mother wounds, father wounds can manifest in two contrasting ways: clinging to partners for stability or keeping emotional distance as a self-protective measure.
—
Mark Travers, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
And the best-of-all-possible-worlds thesis had another self-protective feature that Voltaire’s satire ignores.
—Anthony Gottlieb, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
Advertisement The cars are also equipped with self-protective features.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2025
When the stress builds to burnout and self-protective shutting down, job search stalls.
—Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, 2 Nov. 2024
Interacting with family that hurt him in the past is likely triggering, but some of his behavior goes beyond self-protective and has become unkind.
—R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2024
Your body might react to these disturbing thoughts, going into self-protective survival mode.
—Mark Gurarie, Health, 19 Sep. 2024
But the podcast uses the events in Haditha to underscore the inherent problem of the military using its own legal mechanisms—an array of self-protective reflexes, presumptions, and conditions—to hold its members to account.
—Willing Davidson, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
Johnson’s career-girl sophistication subtly conveys her self-protective arrogance, and Penn’s own blue-collar machismo is also nuanced.
—Armond White, National Review, 28 June 2024
Mark Travers, Forbes, 15 Mar. 2025
And the best-of-all-possible-worlds thesis had another self-protective feature that Voltaire’s satire ignores.
—Anthony Gottlieb, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025
Advertisement The cars are also equipped with self-protective features.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2025
When the stress builds to burnout and self-protective shutting down, job search stalls.
—Amy Lindgren, Twin Cities, 2 Nov. 2024
Interacting with family that hurt him in the past is likely triggering, but some of his behavior goes beyond self-protective and has become unkind.
—R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2024
Your body might react to these disturbing thoughts, going into self-protective survival mode.
—Mark Gurarie, Health, 19 Sep. 2024
But the podcast uses the events in Haditha to underscore the inherent problem of the military using its own legal mechanisms—an array of self-protective reflexes, presumptions, and conditions—to hold its members to account.
—Willing Davidson, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
Johnson’s career-girl sophistication subtly conveys her self-protective arrogance, and Penn’s own blue-collar machismo is also nuanced.
—Armond White, National Review, 28 June 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-protective
Adjective
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Miami also only allowed 101 points per 100 possessions during its two-game play-in tournament run for a defensive rating that would have ranked No. 1 in the league among teams this regular season.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2025
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The 23-year-old primarily drew a defensive assignment from OG Anunoby, who was dialed in on Cunningham all evening.—
Hunter Patterson,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-protective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-protective. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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