self-destructive

adjective

self-de·​struc·​tive ˌself-di-ˈstrək-tiv 

: acting or tending to harm or destroy oneself

self-destructive behavior

also : suicidal

a self-destructive impulse

self-destructiveness noun

Examples of self-destructive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But when conventional regulation fails to keep pace with powerful new products capable of inducing self-destructive, compulsive consumption, courts offer another route. — Jonathan Caulkins, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2026

But hospitality ideologues like Guidara and Meyer never like to talk about what happens when that selflessness becomes self-destructive. — Adam Reiner, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Sep. 2026

Wanda’s obsessive drive to succeed ignites her darker side and self-destructive tendencies that led to her drug addiction. — Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

His outstanding gambling debts to a local mobster (Oscar winner Troy Kotsur, of CODA) threaten Jake’s business and the life he’s built away from his self-destructive sibling. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-destructive

• deconstructive
• nondestructive
• nonproductive
• reconstructive
• reproductive
• unproductive
• abductive
• conductive
• constructive
• deductive
• destructive
• inductive

Medical Definition

self-destructive

adjective

self-de·​struc·​tive -ˈstrək-tiv 

: acting or tending to harm or destroy oneself

self-destructive behavior

also : suicidal

self-destructively adverb

self-destructiveness noun