as in self-immolation
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Recent Examples of self-annihilation
The will toward self-annihilation is a familiar human characteristic.
—
Henry Freedland, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Her self-annihilation is grisly and impossible to misinterpret as a final repudiation of her role in the HMS Courageous bombing and, until Grace announces she’d like Hal to be her vice-president, is the most intense and far-reaching twist of the episode.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
And he is compelled by a righteous fury to warn others of his son’s dark path to self-annihilation.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2025
The broken family exults in its own debasement just like the protesters and activist judges who pursue self-annihilation as liberation.
—Armond White, National Review, 19 Mar. 2025
The clock, which is updated by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, is meant to be a metaphor for how close humanity is to self-annihilation.
—Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2025
The image becomes metabolized by the fungus in a process of self-annihilation and, like the memory itself, given a new kind of presence through its decay.
—Mariana Fernández, ARTnews.com, 18 Dec. 2024
The Doomsday Clock is a metaphor for how close humanity is to self-annihilation, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which has maintained the clock since 1947.
—Doyle Rice, The Courier-Journal, 23 Jan. 2024
These stellar objects, called dark stars, might have been fueled not by nuclear fusion but by the self-annihilation of dark matter—the invisible stuff that is thought to make up about 85 percent of the matter in the universe.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 20 July 2023
Henry Freedland, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
Her self-annihilation is grisly and impossible to misinterpret as a final repudiation of her role in the HMS Courageous bombing and, until Grace announces she’d like Hal to be her vice-president, is the most intense and far-reaching twist of the episode.
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025
And he is compelled by a righteous fury to warn others of his son’s dark path to self-annihilation.
—Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2025
The broken family exults in its own debasement just like the protesters and activist judges who pursue self-annihilation as liberation.
—Armond White, National Review, 19 Mar. 2025
The clock, which is updated by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, is meant to be a metaphor for how close humanity is to self-annihilation.
—Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY, 29 Jan. 2025
The image becomes metabolized by the fungus in a process of self-annihilation and, like the memory itself, given a new kind of presence through its decay.
—Mariana Fernández, ARTnews.com, 18 Dec. 2024
The Doomsday Clock is a metaphor for how close humanity is to self-annihilation, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which has maintained the clock since 1947.
—Doyle Rice, The Courier-Journal, 23 Jan. 2024
These stellar objects, called dark stars, might have been fueled not by nuclear fusion but by the self-annihilation of dark matter—the invisible stuff that is thought to make up about 85 percent of the matter in the universe.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 20 July 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-annihilation
Noun
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Texas Democrats got to enjoy the glow of a surprise victory in Tarrant County for just about a day before the party reverted to its uncommon capacity for self-immolation.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
-
If Trump were to persist, Denmark could trigger NATO’s Article 5 mutual-defense pact, and then the unthinkable could occur: American soldiers firing on Europeans while Russian President Vladimir Putin’s dream of NATO’s self-immolation is thoroughly realized.—
Jonathan Lemire,
The Atlantic,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Under this system, synthetic methane created from non-fossil energy sources can receive transferable certificates that recognize its contribution to CO2 neutrality.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Feb. 2026
-
In New Zealand, high levels of public trust in elections align with robust neutrality rules for public officials.—
Shelley Inglis,
The Conversation,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The astounding thing is that the precision or objectivity—the objectivity of his approach—strangely results in a totally subjective fountain of tears.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Nurrenbern’s opposition stemmed from community activists, who questioned Hall’s objectivity and willingness to hold officers accountable for misconduct.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The same could be said for Howe’s lacerating self-flagellation afterwards.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2026
-
At the same time, invisibility has come as a relief, insofar as my vanity always kept company with self-consciousness and self-flagellation.—
Lucinda Rosenfeld,
New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Whether the motivations are development, altruism, returns or security, there is a role and reward for putting energy and resources into this effort.—
Ajaypal Banga,
Twin Cities,
1 Mar. 2026
-
The Terms of Service of Anthropic’s defective altruism will never outweigh the safety, the readiness, or the lives of American troops on the battlefield.—
Tina Nguyen,
The Verge,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The new criteria includes failure to exercise impartiality in prosecutions; failure to strictly comply with the State Bar of Georgia’s code of professional conduct; failure to comply with open records laws; and failure to comply with discovery procedures.—
David Wickert,
AJC.com,
28 Feb. 2026
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In doing so, the Maryland judge adopted a narrower viewpoint on preemption while not seeing why requiring Kalshi to comply with Maryland laws would violate CEA impartiality.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-annihilation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-annihilation. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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