How to Use self-preservation in a Sentence

self-preservation

noun
  • The boy in the story has developed some crafty means of self-preservation.
    Deborah Treisman, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
  • There’s a self-preservation in there somewhere, a bit of resilience.
    Jordan Moreau, Variety, 7 May 2023
  • There’s no judgment here on those who need to step away from soul-crushing updates in the name of self-preservation.
    Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2024
  • Therefore, for the sake of self-preservation, the Middle colonies and South Carolina chose the lesser of two evils.
    Time, 3 July 2023
  • About the importance of setting boundaries for the sake of self-preservation?
    Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Nov. 2023
  • Kenneth is a 38-year-old who’s led a very small, isolated life out of self-preservation.
    Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 14 June 2023
  • Sometimes not speaking out can be an act of self-preservation.
    Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
  • But by 2021, leaving it had seemed a necessary form of self-preservation.
    Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 4 Jan. 2024
  • This is in line with the phenomena of self-care and self-preservation as opposed to selfishness.
    David Oliver, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2023
  • Of resourceful self-preservation for the sake of self-preservation alone.
    Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 28 Nov. 2023
  • Her will—and maybe her capacity for self-preservation—had waned.
    Amory Rowe Salem and Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 9 Jan. 2024
  • But the hobby that started as a matter of self-preservation was becoming a side hustle.
    Liza Weisstuch, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2023
  • The self-preservation factor can’t be ignored and the fear of the unknown are hurdles to moving immediately to a nine-game SEC slate.
    Michael Casagrande | McAsagrande@al.com, al, 31 May 2023
  • What real or invented term could be used to describe this extreme form of self-preservation?
    The Week Staff, The Week, 10 Mar. 2023
  • Makers of new drugs or medical implants, such as hips or pacemakers, are speed averse out of self-preservation.
    IEEE Spectrum, 14 Mar. 2013
  • Instead, for most of their predators, spiders are a safe snack — a tame and tasty treat — rather than a threat, forcing spiders to follow some pretty strange strategies for self-preservation.
    Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 28 Mar. 2024
  • There is beauty in surrendering to new rhythms in a new season of life, to choosing self-preservation over self-interest.
    Carola Lovering, Vogue, 5 Feb. 2024
  • Pedestrians scurried away with the typical aloofness New Yorkers adopt as a means of self-preservation.
    Keith Nelson, Men's Health, 1 Aug. 2023
  • Many China watchers speculated that the death of the news conference could be an attempt at self-preservation by the current premier, Li Qiang.
    Li Yuan, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
  • People, in my view, reinforce their personal hypocrisy out of self-preservation.
    Stephanie Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Apr. 2024
  • Sending The Right Message During a recession, marketing investments and self-preservation aren’t the only things brands should have top of mind.
    Rebecca Kowalewicz, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2023
  • Toeing the line between authenticity and self-preservation, Mock takes us through her dating woes, roommate drama, and the glitz of being a rising star.
    Brea Baker, ELLE, 18 Aug. 2023
  • Then, maybe just maybe, the Los Angeles schools would have stayed loyal, Oregon and Washington wouldn’t have needed to seek self-preservation in the midwest, and the realignment dominoes wouldn’t have followed.
    Joe Freeman, oregonlive, 13 Sep. 2023
  • Since defensive attitudes are acts of self-preservation, creating a space where your employees feel safe enough to let their guard down is vital.
    Eugene Dilan, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
  • People are focused on self-preservation and not principle.
    Nbc Universal, NBC News, 13 Aug. 2023
  • Out of sympathy — and self-preservation — Paul lends Hartnett his replica, but soon begins to suspect there may be something going on between his co-pilot and his wife (Kate Mara).
    Katcy Stephan, Variety, 15 June 2023
  • Recommended This vagueness is by design – and aimed at self-preservation.
    Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Aug. 2023
  • The early 917 was a terrifying thing by all accounts, with at least one driver accidentally-on-purpose breaking the car early in the running in the name of self-preservation.
    Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 16 Oct. 2023
  • Saturday’s loss was a reminder of all the history this team has created, and yet another reminder of the self-preservation required to keep writing new chapters like this.
    Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2024
  • But another idea is gaining ground among Democrats that is more dangerous: condition U.S. aid on how Israel conducts its war of self-preservation.
    The Editorial Board, WSJ, 27 Nov. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-preservation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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