Self-preservation Definition & Meaning

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    • self-preservation American [self-prez-er-vey-shuhn, self-] / ˈsɛlfˌprɛz ərˈveɪ ʃən, ˌsɛlf- /

    noun

    1. preservation of oneself from harm or destruction.

    self-preservation British

    noun

    1. the preservation of oneself from danger or injury, esp as a basic instinct

    "Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

    Other Word Forms

    • self-preserving adjective

    Etymology

    Origin of self-preservation

    First recorded in 1605–15

    Example Sentences

    Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

    In May, AI firm Anthropic released a controversial report which described how an AI model was capable of seemingly blackmail-like behaviour if it thought its "self-preservation" was threatened.

    From BBC

    When people feel connected to something larger than self-preservation, trust rises.

    From MarketWatch

    Anthropic said in May that its latest Claude model is capable of “extreme actions” if it believes its “self-preservation” is threatened.

    From The Wall Street Journal

    During the trial, prosecution barrister Anne Whyte KC said Harris, who ended his legal career in 2016, had "absolutely no respect" for the victims and had gone through the trial in a move of "self-preservation".

    From BBC

    “I could think of any adjective to fill the blank. And it would probably work. You find different ways to protect yourself, whether that’s self-preservation or it’s just growing up.”

    From MarketWatch

    Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

    Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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