Definition

1. Noun:
   • The act of destroying or harming oneself: "Self-destruction" refers to the process or action of causing serious damage or harm to oneself, which can be physical, psychological, or social.
   • Suicide: In its most severe and specific sense, "self-destruction" means the act of intentionally causing one's own death.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • His addiction to gambling was a slow form of self-destruction. (His behavior was systematically ruining his life.)
  • The legal system treats self-destruction, or suicide, as a complex issue. (The act of killing oneself is addressed by law.)

Advanced Usage

• "A path of self-destruction": A series of choices or behaviors that lead to one's own ruin.
  • After losing his job, he embarked on a path of self-destruction involving drugs and alcohol.
• "An act of pure self-destruction": An action that is clearly and wholly damaging to oneself.
  • Rejecting the help offered to her was an act of pure self-destruction.

Variants and Related Words

• Self-destructive (adj): Characterized by a desire or tendency to harm oneself.
  • He was in a self-destructive phase, pushing away everyone who cared about him.
• Self-destruct (verb): To destroy oneself or itself automatically.
  • The device is programmed to self-destruct if tampered with.

Synonyms

• Suicide: The act of killing oneself intentionally.
• Self-annihilation: Complete destruction of oneself.
• Self-ruin: The act of causing one's own downfall or destruction.

Related Phrases

• To commit self-destruction: A formal phrase meaning to kill oneself.
  • The poet was believed to have committed self-destruction.
• Cycle of self-destruction: A repeating pattern of harmful behavior.
  • She needed help to break the cycle of self-destruction.

Noun

1. the act of destroying yourself
   • his insistence was pure self-destruction
2. the act of killing yourself
   • it is a crime to commit suicide