self-preserving
adjective
self-pre·serv·ing
ˌself-pri-ˈzər-viŋ 
: acting or tending to preserve oneself or itself
self-preserving instincts/behavior
It's a novel about whether, amid the absurd twists and cruelties of life, you end up being a self-preserving observer of the fray, a committed fighter against overwhelming odds, or something uncomfortably in between.—
Kenneth Kid
Kenneth KidExamples of self-preserving in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Advertisement In practice, this has created a form of self-preserving philanthropy.
—Abigail Disney, Time, 16 Apr. 2026
Fearful and self-preserving silence, nervous and embarrassed avoidance, and even willful erasure kept stories like these in the dark.
—Chad S.a. Gibbs, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2026
In recent experiments, models have already shown early forms of self-preserving behavior.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 15 Jan. 2026
Reports of advanced generative AI models, like Claude Opus 4, exhibiting autonomous, self-preserving behaviors only deepen those concerns.
—Nicole Tidei, Forbes.com, 5 Sep. 2025
And in the last six months, scientific evidence has mounted of self-preserving behavior, deception, hacking, cheating and lying by AI, Bengio says.
—Parmy Olson, Twin Cities, 28 May 2025
Falstaff is vitality incarnate — exuberant, excessive, grandiloquent, unashamedly self-preserving, defiant and fleshy, witty and roguish, an addict by personality and addictive to those who can’t help but love him.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025
Crack Cloud – Red Mile Jagjaguwar Crack Cloud began in 2015 as a self-preserving creative outlet.
—Margaret Farrell, SPIN, 26 July 2024
That shift may also reflect a self-preserving political recalibration after redistricting made her once-competitive seat redder ahead of the 2022 election.
—Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 9 June 2024
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Abigail Disney, Time, 16 Apr. 2026
Fearful and self-preserving silence, nervous and embarrassed avoidance, and even willful erasure kept stories like these in the dark.
—Chad S.a. Gibbs, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2026
In recent experiments, models have already shown early forms of self-preserving behavior.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 15 Jan. 2026
Reports of advanced generative AI models, like Claude Opus 4, exhibiting autonomous, self-preserving behaviors only deepen those concerns.
—Nicole Tidei, Forbes.com, 5 Sep. 2025
And in the last six months, scientific evidence has mounted of self-preserving behavior, deception, hacking, cheating and lying by AI, Bengio says.
—Parmy Olson, Twin Cities, 28 May 2025
Falstaff is vitality incarnate — exuberant, excessive, grandiloquent, unashamedly self-preserving, defiant and fleshy, witty and roguish, an addict by personality and addictive to those who can’t help but love him.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025
Crack Cloud – Red Mile Jagjaguwar Crack Cloud began in 2015 as a self-preserving creative outlet.
—Margaret Farrell, SPIN, 26 July 2024
That shift may also reflect a self-preserving political recalibration after redistricting made her once-competitive seat redder ahead of the 2022 election.
—Geoffrey Skelley, ABC News, 9 June 2024
Cite this Entry
“Self-preserving.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-preserving. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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