self-destructive
adjective
self-de·struc·tive
ˌself-di-ˈstrək-tiv 
: acting or tending to harm or destroy oneself
self-destructive behavior
self-destructiveness
noun
Examples of self-destructive in a Sentence
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While in custody, Dale Grogan reportedly began exhibiting increasingly erratic and self-destructive behavior, attempting to gouge out his own eyes while being held in the county jail, prompting deputies to intervene and transport him under guard to a nearby hospital for emergency treatment.
—
Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Based on Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir, The Chronology of Water casts the actress as a competitive swimmer who comes to terms with an abusive childhood while navigating self-destructive behavior.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
How to narrow your performance gap The most obvious examples of self-destructive behavior from investors come during market extremes, Ptak says, with over-exuberant investors piling into the market when stocks have already shot up and panic-selling when the market hits the skids.
—Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025
That contrast, between how meticulously Reichardt builds her story and the way her protagonist pinballs through his, yields a remarkably precise exploration of hubris as a self-destructive force.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025
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Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Based on Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir, The Chronology of Water casts the actress as a competitive swimmer who comes to terms with an abusive childhood while navigating self-destructive behavior.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 27 Oct. 2025
How to narrow your performance gap The most obvious examples of self-destructive behavior from investors come during market extremes, Ptak says, with over-exuberant investors piling into the market when stocks have already shot up and panic-selling when the market hits the skids.
—Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025
That contrast, between how meticulously Reichardt builds her story and the way her protagonist pinballs through his, yields a remarkably precise exploration of hubris as a self-destructive force.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-destructive
Cite this Entry
“Self-destructive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-destructive. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical 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
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