Meanings
- uncountableThe regulation by a person of their own behaviour without external control, governance, or monitoring.
Near-synonym: willpower
Synonyms: self-command, self-control, self-discipline, self-mastery, willpower · Antonyms: undisciplinedness
- uncountableThe regulation by an organization of its own operation without external control, governance, or monitoring.
Near-synonyms: self-governance; autonomy
Synonyms: self-governance, autonomy
- uncountableThe regulation by a device or machine of its own operation without external control, governance, or monitoring.
Near-synonym: automation
Synonyms: automation
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe regulation by a person of their own behaviour without external control, governance, or monitoring.
nounThe regulation by an organization of its own operation without external control, governance, or monitoring.
nounThe regulation by a device or machine of its own operation without external control, governance, or monitoring.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*swé?
- Proto-Indo-European*selbʰ-
- Proto-Germanic*selbaz
- Old Englishself
- Old Englishself-
- Middle Englishself-
- Englishself-
- Englishregulation
- Englishself-regulation
From self- + regulation.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 自我調整 /自我调整, 自我調節 /自我调节
- 自我調整 /自我调整 (zìwǒ tiáozhěng)the regulation of one's own behavior
- 自我調節 /自我调节 (zìwǒ tiáojié)the regulation of one's own behavior
Dutch zelfregulatie
- zelfregulatiethe regulation of one's own behavior
Finnish itsesäätely
- itsesäätelythe regulation of one's own behavior
French autorégulation
- autorégulationthe regulation of one's own behavior
German Selbstregulation
- Selbstregulationthe regulation of one's own behavior
Polish autoregulacja, samoregulacja
- autoregulacjathe regulation of one's own behavior
- samoregulacjathe regulation of one's own behavior
Spanish autorregulación
- autorregulaciónthe regulation of one's own behavior
Thai การกำกับตนเอง
- การกำกับตนเองthe regulation of one's own behavior
Cite this entry
self-regulation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-regulation
“self-regulation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-regulation. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “self-regulation,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-regulation.
Source: self-regulation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.