Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Relating to or characterized by a strong desire or tendency to kill oneself: Describes a state of mind, feelings, or actions directly connected to the act of taking one's own life.
   • Extremely dangerous or destructive to oneself or one's own interests: Describes an action, plan, or behavior that is so reckless it is likely to cause severe harm or failure to the person or entity undertaking it.

Usage and Examples

• Relating to self-destruction:
  • After the loss, he experienced deep depression and had suicidal thoughts.
  • The hotline provides support for people in suicidal crisis.
• Extremely reckless or dangerous:
  • Driving that fast in the fog is suicidal.
  • The general criticized the suicidal military tactic that would sacrifice the entire unit.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• "suicidal tendencies": A clinical or descriptive term for a persistent pattern of thoughts or behaviors oriented towards self-harm or suicide.
  • The patient was hospitalized due to demonstrated suicidal tendencies.
• Used figuratively in politics, business, or sports to describe a strategy doomed to fail.
  • Analysts called the company's price war a suicidal move that would bankrupt them.

Variants and Related Words

• Suicide (n): The act or an instance of taking one's own life.
  • The tragedy was ruled a suicide.
• Suicidally (adv): In a manner leading to or resembling suicide.
  • He drove suicidally fast down the mountain road.

Synonyms

• Self-destructive: Injurious to oneself, often psychologically or emotionally.
• Reckless: Without thinking or caring about the consequences of an action.
• Kamikaze: (From Japanese, used figuratively) Deliberately suicidal or extremely reckless, especially in a military or high-stakes context.

Idioms and Common Phrases

• "Suicidal mission": A task or assignment so dangerous that death or complete failure is highly probable.
  • The soldiers volunteered for what was essentially a suicidal mission.
• "On a suicidal path": Behaving in a way that will almost certainly lead to ruin or disaster.
  • By ignoring all the warnings, the CEO is putting the company on a suicidal path.

Adjective

1. dangerous to yourself or your interests
   • suicidal impulses
   • a suicidal corporate takeover strategy
   • a kamikaze pilot