self-harm

noun

ˌself-ˈhärm 

: the act of purposely hurting oneself (as by cutting or burning the skin) as an emotional coping mechanism

An acute change in mood that persists for weeks or is associated with thoughts of self-harm should not be ignored.

—John Williamson

called also self-injury, self-mutilation

self-harm intransitive verb

self-harmed; self-harming; self-harms

teenagers who self-harm

Examples of self-harm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In addition to delusions and mania, the study found an increase in suicidal ideation and self-harm, disordered eating behaviors, and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. —Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2026

Fultz estimates the percentage of cases Payne County Youth Services sees involving high-risk situations like suicidality and self-harm has increased to around 65% of all cases. —Maddy Keyes, The Frontier, 5 Mar. 2026

In suicidal ideation or self-harm scenarios, the bot’s response was also inconsistent. —Kaan Ozcan, NBC news, 3 Mar. 2026

ChatGPT Health is designed to show a crisis intervention banner when someone describes thoughts of self-harm, the researcher noted. —Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 2 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-harm

• alarm
• disarm
• forearm
• gendarme
• nonfarm
• rearm
• arm
• charm
• farm
• harm
• firearm
• underarm

Kids Definition

self-harm

noun

ˌself-ˈhärm 

: the act of purposely hurting oneself (as by cutting or burning the skin) as an emotional coping mechanism