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Definition of "self-preservation" [self•-pres•er•va•tion]

  • Protection of oneself from harm or destruction. (noun)
  • The instinct for individual preservation; the innate desire to stay alive. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "self-preservation" in a sentence
  • "The crimes of the secular state in the name of self-preservation must make us yearn for strong correctives to capitalist parliamentarian incarnations of democracy."
  • "She clasped her forearm in her hand, squeezing with all her might in order to keep herself in check—to keep herself from lashing out in the name of self-preservation."
  • "It may be one of the consequences of our at-large voting system - it may also be apathy or willful ignorance in the name of self-preservation - but chances are you've never heard of most of the candidates running for mayor and council in the Vancouver civic election."