as in protective
intended to resist or prevent attack or aggression a self-protective gesture to ward off the blow

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of self-protective He’s worked hard to make his way in this world, and part of his cocksure attitude is self-protective. Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 17 June 2025 When things move fast, when expectations are unclear or when there’s a fear of looking bad, people naturally go into self-protective mode. Saby Waraich, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025 For some people, that discomfort is enough to trigger a self-protective instinct to deflect, blame, or jump to rationalizations, Dr. Kelley explains. Jenna Ryu, SELF, 8 May 2025 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-protective
defensive
Adjective
  • The Steelers still have a number of star players, including on the defensive side of the ball including former Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt and 14-year veteran Cameron Heyward.
    DJ Siddiqi, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • After walking Kyle Schwarber, Waldron got out of the inning thanks to another fine defensive play — Arraez diving toward the bag to catch a line drive by Bryce Harper and then touching the bag to double up Turner.
    Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Self-protective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-protective. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

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