suicidal

adjective sui·cid·al \ ˌsü-ə-ˈsī-dᵊl \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of suicidal

1 a : dangerous especially to life

b : destructive to one's own interests

2 : relating to or of the nature of suicide

3 : marked by an impulse to commit suicide

—

suicidally

adverb

See suicidal defined for English-language learners

Examples of suicidal in a Sentence

psychiatrists working with suicidal patients
He knows that supporting a tax increase would be politically suicidal.

Recent Examples of suicidal from the Web

On multiple occasions, Kong reported having suicidal thoughts.

— robert moran, Philly.com, "Parents of Penn suicide victim sue university," 11 Apr. 2018
Fans of the bingeable show, however, commend the series for raising awareness about suicide and shedding light on how to spot warning signs of depression or suicidal thoughts.

— alessia grunberger, CNN, "'13 Reasons Why' warning is a start, experts say, but they want more," 5 Apr. 2018
Lorig’s depression had prompted two prior six-month leaves of absence, in 1989 and 2001, and his history of mental health issues, including suicidal thoughts, was known at the bank, according to the complaint.

— Fortune, "J.P. Morgan Is Getting Sued Over the Suicide of a Star Broker Who Was Forced to Retire," 3 Apr. 2018
According to police records, Samson struggled to hold a job, had a volatile relationship with a woman that twice involved police and also had expressed suicidal thoughts in June.

— crimesider staff, CBS News, "Tennessee church shooting suspect pleads not guilty," 28 Mar. 2018
In addition, the program will offer ideas to parents on helping teens deal with stress and the warning signs to watch for that might indicate a child is suicidal.

— suzanne baker, Naperville Sun, "Naperville program to help teens work through anxiety, thoughts of suicide," 16 Mar. 2018
Like, hey, what happened between the last one and this one, where the most hopeful man in the galaxy becomes a cranky old suicidal man telling people to get off his lawn?

— sam machkovech, Ars Technica, "Mark Hamill on Skywalker disagreements, fear of starring in a new Star Wars film," 12 Mar. 2018
That Tamiflu can cause suicide or suicidal thoughts.

— sarah klein, Health.com, "The Truth About Scary Tamiflu Side Effects," 1 Feb. 2018
And a more straightforward line between the abduction, shown in flashback, Stephen and Julie leading their separate lives, and the only conclusion possible in a film that aims for emotionally honesty without leaving its audience suicidal.

— john anderson, WSJ, "‘The Child in Time’ Review: The Trauma of the Missing," 29 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'suicidal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of suicidal

1777

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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SUICIDAL Defined for English Language Learners

suicidal

adjective

Definition of suicidal for English Language Learners

: wanting to kill yourself : showing a desire to kill yourself
: extremely dangerous : likely to cause your death : likely to cause great harm to yourself

Medical Dictionary

suicidal

adjective sui·cid·al \ ˌsü-ə-ˈsīd-ᵊl \

medical Definition of suicidal

1 : of, relating to, or tending to cause suicide

suicidal tendencies

2 : marked by an impulse to commit suicide

suicidal patients

—

suicidally

play \-ᵊl-ē\ adverb

Learn More about suicidal

See words that rhyme with suicidal Spanish Central: Translation of suicidal Nglish: Translation of suicidal for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of suicidal for Arabic speakers

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suicidal

Definition of suicidal

suicidally

Examples of suicidal in a Sentence

Recent Examples of suicidal from the Web

First Known Use of suicidal

SUICIDAL Defined for English Language Learners

suicidal

Definition of suicidal for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

suicidal

medical Definition of suicidal

suicidally

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suicidal

Definition of suicidal

suicidally

Examples of suicidal in a Sentence

Recent Examples of suicidal from the Web

First Known Use of suicidal

SUICIDAL Defined for English Language Learners

suicidal

Definition of suicidal for English Language Learners

Medical Dictionary

suicidal

medical Definition of suicidal

suicidally

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