self-inflicted

adjective

self-in·​flict·​ed ˌself-in-ˈflik-təd How to pronounce self-inflicted (audio)
: inflicted or caused by oneself
a self-inflicted wound
His staff problems are self-inflicted, the product of his poor judgment and bad choices.The Guardian (United Kingdom)

Examples of self-inflicted in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Investigators determined that her death was not accidental or self-inflicted. Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2023 The struggles Elgin faced in its two losses were partially self-inflicted. Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2023 And the injury, Pham revealed after a 8-5 loss to the Orioles, was self-inflicted. Theo MacKie, The Arizona Republic, 4 Sep. 2023 As undeniably talented as Richardson was and is, though, the Utes maintain that much of the damage done was self-inflicted. Eric Walden, The Salt Lake Tribune, 31 Aug. 2023 Deeper issues The pandemic, which snarled supply chains, and the war in Ukraine are to blame for much of Germany’s current predicament, argues Brzeski, but many of its problems run deeper, and are self-inflicted. Anna Cooban, CNN, 24 Aug. 2023 The affidavit describes his wound as being self-inflicted. Miranda Jeyaretnam, The Indianapolis Star, 19 Aug. 2023 Sometimes damage is self-inflicted by improper care. Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Aug. 2023 The nation’s health faces a dual threat — one anticipated, the other, self-inflicted. Steve Brozak, STAT, 16 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-inflicted.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-inflicted was in 1600

Dictionary Entries Near self-inflicted

Cite this Entry

“Self-inflicted.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-inflicted. Accessed 4 Oct. 2023.

Kids Definition

self-inflicted

adjective
self-in·​flict·​ed
ˌsel-fin-ˈflik-təd
: inflicted by oneself
a self-inflicted wound

Medical Definition

self-inflicted

adjective
self-in·​flict·​ed -in-ˈflik-təd How to pronounce self-inflicted (audio)
: inflicted by oneself
a self-inflicted wound

More from Merriam-Webster on self-inflicted

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