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

And, after Young collapsed onstage last September in New York due to exhaustion and dehydration, speculation over self-destructive behavior. —Ramon Ramirez, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026

Robert had shown a potential for self-destructive as early as 2015, after a car wreck that then-wife Edith Carradine later alleged had not been an accident. —Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 11 Mar. 2026

But for individuals experiencing schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, that validation may amplify paranoia, grandiosity, or self-destructive thinking. —Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2026

O'Grady noted that any action to block the Strait of Hormuz would be self-destructive for Iran. —CBS News, 2 Mar. 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