self-regulation

noun

self-reg·​u·​la·​tion ˌself-ˌre-gyə-ˈlā-shən 

-ˌre-gə-,

 also  -ˌrā-

plural self-regulations

: the act or condition or an instance of regulating oneself or itself: such as

a

: control or supervision from within instead of by an external authority

the online marketing industry's self-regulation of consumer privacy protections

also : a rule imposed in self-regulation

Banks were left to largely manage themselves, and establish industry-wide self-regulations …

—Kevin Plummer

According to the Federal Trade Commission, food marketing cannot be false, deceptive or unfair. But there are other, more specific, self-regulations out there for ads related to kids.

—Alexandra Sifferlin

b

: the bringing of oneself or itself into a state of order, method, or uniformity

self-regulation of an ecosystem

emotional self-regulation

Examples of self-regulation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Federal Aviation Administration’s scrutiny of Boeing should continue, and more broadly, policymakers and legislators should take the company’s continuous debacles over the past few years as a sign that the promise of industry self-regulation is a farce. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2024

Self-awareness and self-regulation are the foundations of developing mental toughness and staying in your zone, and a lot of it comes down to just breathing. —Jessica Hullinger, Scientific American, 5 Jan. 2024

The Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, for instance—a handbook published by the White House in October 2022—offers guidance for developers and users of AI on how to safeguard the American public’s rights in the AI age but ultimately places its trust in tech companies’ self-regulation. —Anu Bradford, Foreign Affairs, 27 June 2023

But even with the best of intentions, without external oversight, this kind of self-regulation will end up unenforceable, especially under the pressure of immense profit incentives. —Billy Perrigo/san Francisco, TIME, 30 May 2024

Ronda’s individualized therapy includes a self-regulation breathing technique, and deep connection work with her horse Beauty. —Emily Lippiello, ABC News, 9 May 2024

In 1997, the Bill Clinton administration issued a seminal report, titled A Framework for Global Electronic Commerce, advocating for industry self-regulation without undue restrictions on electronic commerce. —Byjeffrey Saviano, Fortune, 8 May 2024

School systems, alarmed by rising levels of distress and self-harm, are introducing preventive coursework in emotional self-regulation and mindfulness. —Ellen Barry, New York Times, 6 May 2024

This means a healthy state of self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. —Sonia Singh, Rolling Stone, 4 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1698, in the meaning defined above