self-destruction

noun

self-de·​struc·​tion ˌself-di-ˈstrək-shən 

: destruction of oneself

especially : suicide

Synonyms of self-destruction

• suicide

Examples of self-destruction in a Sentence

the controversy over self-destruction accomplished with the assistance of a physician or other person

Recent Examples on the Web

Konrad, 24, drifts between Berlin’s techno clubs and a slow self-destruction until summoned to identify a body that may be his mother’s – a German internationalist guerrilla fighter who abandoned him when a child. —John Hopewell, Variety, 9 Mar. 2026

The ten-month time jump has helped Whitaker feel more comfortable at work, Howell says, but even he was thrown by Robby’s seeming gesture of trust — and, maybe, self-destruction. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026

Shutting in a field without advanced computational modeling and parameter estimation is an act of economic self-destruction. —Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026

In setting Blood Hammer Girl in an exotic, vague past, Locklear takes the audience back to a supposedly simpler time while sending up the human penchant for self-destruction in any era. —Manuel Mendoza, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1586, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-destruction

• aqueducts
• reconstructs
• conducts
• constructs
• deducts
• instructs
• obstructs
• ducts

Kids Definition

self-destruction

noun

self-de·​struc·​tion

ˌself-di-ˈstrək-shən

: destruction of oneself

especially : suicide sense 1

self-destructive

-ˈstrək-tiv

adjective

Medical Definition

self-destruction

noun

self-de·​struc·​tion -di-ˈstrək-shən 

: destruction of oneself

especially : suicide