suicidal ideation
noun
: the act of thinking about or a state of preoccupation with ending one's own life : the act of considering or planning suicide
He had been hospitalized several times for depression and suicidal ideation: the previous summer he had checked himself into a hospital in Laramie.—
Melanie Thernstrom
Melanie ThernstromAlleviating gender dysphoria and aligning gender expression with identity through these treatments can lower stress, reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, and significantly lessen suicidal ideation.—Orion Rummler
Orion RummlerExamples of suicidal ideation in a Sentence
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His perfect comedic timing and cartoon-like interpretations of Day bring a light-hearted energy to the play, which has some heavy moments of domestic violence and even suicidal ideation.
—Essence, 28 Nov. 2025
The final straw was just weeks ago when OpenAI said over a million people express suicidal ideation to ChatGPT every week.
—Sage Lazzaro, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2025
In fact, my own research has shown that adopting some traits of the strong Black woman trope decreases Black women’s chances of reporting suicidal ideation.
—Jeannette Wade, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
In October 2024, Joshua Enneking, 26, began confiding in ChatGPT — and ChatGPT alone — about struggles with depression and suicidal ideation.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 25 Nov. 2025
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Essence, 28 Nov. 2025
The final straw was just weeks ago when OpenAI said over a million people express suicidal ideation to ChatGPT every week.
—Sage Lazzaro, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2025
In fact, my own research has shown that adopting some traits of the strong Black woman trope decreases Black women’s chances of reporting suicidal ideation.
—Jeannette Wade, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
In October 2024, Joshua Enneking, 26, began confiding in ChatGPT — and ChatGPT alone — about struggles with depression and suicidal ideation.
—Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for suicidal ideation
Cite this Entry
“Suicidal ideation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suicidal%20ideation. Accessed 3 Dec. 2025.
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suicidal ideation
noun
: the act of thinking about or a state of preoccupation with ending one's own life : the act of considering or planning suicide
Depression appears to be one of the strongest predictors of suicidal ideation but does not appear to distinguish those who have attempted suicide from those who have experienced suicidal ideation without attempts.—E. David Klonsky et al., Annual Review of Clinical Psychology
E. David Klonsky et al., Annual Review of Clinical PsychologyBurnout among medical students seems to be an important predictor of subsequent suicidal ideation even without symptoms of depression.—Liselotte N. Dyrbye et al., Annals of Internal Medicine
Liselotte N. Dyrbye et al., Annals of Internal MedicineLove words? Need even more definitions?
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