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
But Wood had also charged Whitehead with avoiding introspection, echoing an assessment that the novelist—who’d developed a self-protective reserve in childhood—was also beginning to reach.
—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
Legislators need to realize that big tech is self-protective and eschews state boundaries in multifarious ways.
—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
Military culture is fiercely self-protective, and soldiers who criticize it are usually treated as traitors.
—
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
On a far too frequent basis, Americans have listened to the erratic falsehoods of a pathologically narcissistic president while our Republican leaders in Congress cower in the corners of their offices in a state of self-protective paralysis.
—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
23 Jan. 2026
But anyone who has nurtured a daydream, or told a self-protective lie, can empathize with her, and learn something true about themselves.
—
Boris Kachka,
The Atlantic,
9 Jan. 2026
This self-protective habit can leave you struggling and the relationship seeming unbalanced and isolating for both partners.
—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
Legislators need to realize that big tech is self-protective and eschews state boundaries in multifarious ways.
—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2026
Military culture is fiercely self-protective, and soldiers who criticize it are usually treated as traitors.
—
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
On a far too frequent basis, Americans have listened to the erratic falsehoods of a pathologically narcissistic president while our Republican leaders in Congress cower in the corners of their offices in a state of self-protective paralysis.
—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
23 Jan. 2026
But anyone who has nurtured a daydream, or told a self-protective lie, can empathize with her, and learn something true about themselves.
—
Boris Kachka,
The Atlantic,
9 Jan. 2026
This self-protective habit can leave you struggling and the relationship seeming unbalanced and isolating for both partners.
—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-protective
Adjective
-
Repeatedly, agents had to admit that no crime scene tape was laid out, and no other protective measures were taken until after the Palisades fire burned over the Lachman scene.
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Decisions about protective security are made by the Home Office, not the monarch.
Adjective
-
Offensive and defensive lineman Joseph Medina from the class of 2028 has made quite a first impression on Hernandez.
-
But if not included, Mitchell could stand as part of a lockdown defensive lineup, with his lack of size somewhat compensated by the presences of Antetokounmpo and Adebayo.
Cite this Entry
“Self-protective.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-protective. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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