self-mutilation

noun

self-mu·​ti·​la·​tion ˌself-ˌmyü-tə-ˈlā-shən 

: the act of inflicting injury or disfigurement to one's own body

The original wound reopened and became dangerously infected, and yet this classic display of canine self-mutilation continued.

—Dog Watch

But there seem to be, nevertheless, very few cases of actual cowardice. Of these, the majority involve self-mutilation by conscripts, in an attempt to be invalided out of the Army.

—Carey Schofield

… a Los Angeles Superior Court judge on Tuesday ordered the state to pay for the private care of a 19-year- old man suffering from a rare neurological disorder that prompts violent bouts of self-mutilation.

—Claudia Puig

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

… the terrible incidence of self-mutilation, or cutting, particularly among young girls.

—Judy Quinn

self-mutilate

ˌself-ˈmyü-tə-ˌlāt 

intransitive verb

self-mutilated; self-mutilating; self-mutilates

self-mutilating behavior

Examples of self-mutilation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Primates in captivity by contrast have been known to throw excrement or engage in sometimes brutal self-mutilation. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 15 Jan. 2025

Jailhouse records show that Smith was disciplined at least five times between 2010 and 2017 for infractions including self-mutilation, drug use and possession of narcotics or marijuana. —Lynsey Eidell, Peoplemag, 14 Sep. 2024

But Eli is a great character, a tragic creature of the night who has relied on manipulation and self-mutilation to survive for decades. —A.a. Dowd, Washington Post, 31 July 2024

In Leviticus 19:28, God prohibits mourners from funeral rites that involve self-mutilation to honor the dead – the Bible’s only explicit prohibition of tattoos. —Gustavo Morello, The Conversation, 10 July 2024

Does Biden’s poor performance in one presidential debate truly warrant the Democratic Party’s self-mutilation, even when there are no substantive facts to prove a diminution in the president’s health and cognitive abilities? —Michelle Etlin, Baltimore Sun, 9 July 2024

Daniel cruelly forces Liz to prove her devotion through self-mutilation. —Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 26 June 2024

That can lead to negative behaviors like pacing, excessive sleeping and vocalizations, feather-picking and even self-mutilation. —Rachel Feltman, Popular Science, 19 July 2023

Pádraic doesn’t come off as tedious enough for Colm to threaten self-mutilation should his former friend so much as wave hello to him again. —Hazlitt, 17 May 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1637, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-mutilation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration

Medical Definition

self-mutilation

noun

self-mu·​ti·​la·​tion -ˌmyüt-ə-ˈlā-shən 

: injury or disfigurement of oneself

self-mutilation associated with the Lesch-Nyhan syndrome