self-protective
adjective
self-pro·tec·tive
ˌself-prə-ˈtek-tiv 
: serving or tending to protect oneself
self-protective instincts/behaviors
a self-protective reaction
taking self-protective measures
Doubtless, previous relationships play a role in your evaluating how much self-protective distancing you may need to connect comfortably with another.—
Leon F. Seltzer
Leon F. Seltzer
self-protectiveness
noun
… counselors often develop an intuitive feeling about traumatized individuals—a sixth sense about the client's fears, terror, feelings of being threatened and resulting self-protectiveness.
—Lynne Shallcross
Lynne Shallcross
Examples of self-protective in a Sentence
a self-protective gesture to ward off the blow
Recent Examples on the Web
Interacting with family that hurt him in the past is likely triggering, but some of his behavior goes beyond self-protective and has become unkind.
—R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2024
Your body might react to these disturbing thoughts, going into self-protective survival mode.
—Mark Gurarie, Health, 19 Sep. 2024
But the podcast uses the events in Haditha to underscore the inherent problem of the military using its own legal mechanisms—an array of self-protective reflexes, presumptions, and conditions—to hold its members to account.
—Willing Davidson, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
Johnson’s career-girl sophistication subtly conveys her self-protective arrogance, and Penn’s own blue-collar machismo is also nuanced.
—Armond White, National Review, 28 June 2024
Cancers are sensitive and self-protective by nature, so the bold, assertive Aries will likely rub them the wrong way.
—Katie Mannion, Peoplemag, 22 June 2024
No, the Church continues to slither through the dark forests of self-protective law and accounting where the victims are just adversaries to be subdued.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 22 Mar. 2024
Recent political discourse on the issue indicates that Gov. Gavin Newsom, state legislators and local government officials recognize, if not publicly acknowledge, the virtual impossibility of significantly reducing homelessness, and therefore have evolved into self-protective blame-shifting.
—Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 11 May 2024
During these years, Foster cultivated a reputation for being aloof and self-protective.
—Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2024
R. Eric Thomas, The Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2024
Your body might react to these disturbing thoughts, going into self-protective survival mode.
—Mark Gurarie, Health, 19 Sep. 2024
But the podcast uses the events in Haditha to underscore the inherent problem of the military using its own legal mechanisms—an array of self-protective reflexes, presumptions, and conditions—to hold its members to account.
—Willing Davidson, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
Johnson’s career-girl sophistication subtly conveys her self-protective arrogance, and Penn’s own blue-collar machismo is also nuanced.
—Armond White, National Review, 28 June 2024
Cancers are sensitive and self-protective by nature, so the bold, assertive Aries will likely rub them the wrong way.
—Katie Mannion, Peoplemag, 22 June 2024
No, the Church continues to slither through the dark forests of self-protective law and accounting where the victims are just adversaries to be subdued.
—Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 22 Mar. 2024
Recent political discourse on the issue indicates that Gov. Gavin Newsom, state legislators and local government officials recognize, if not publicly acknowledge, the virtual impossibility of significantly reducing homelessness, and therefore have evolved into self-protective blame-shifting.
—Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 11 May 2024
During these years, Foster cultivated a reputation for being aloof and self-protective.
—Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 18 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-protective.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near self-protective
Cite this Entry
“Self-protective.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-protective. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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