suicide

suicide — noun

1. the act of deliberately ending your own life

1.nounB1
Definition

the act of deliberately ending your own life

Example

Nikhil's uncle died by suicide, leaving the family in deep shock.

collocation: die by suicide (preferred modern phrasing)

Studies show that suicide rates rise during periods of economic hardship.

collocation: suicide rates

Common collocations
  • die by suicide
  • attempt suicide
  • commit suicide
  • suicide rate
  • suicide prevention
  • contemplate suicide
  • survive a suicide attempt
Synonyms
  • self-killing

    clinical or technical; very rare in everyday speech

  • taking one's own life

    gentler, more euphemistic phrasing; common in formal writing and news reports

  • self-destruction

    broader meaning that can include gradual harmful behaviour, not necessarily a single act

Usage Note

In modern English, 'die by suicide' is preferred over 'commit suicide', which some people feel has a judgmental or criminal tone. Use 'die by suicide', 'take one's own life', or 'end one's life' instead.

Common Mistakes

He committed suicide after losing his job.
He died by suicide after losing his job.
'commit suicide' is increasingly seen as outdated and judgmental; 'die by suicide' is the preferred modern phrasing.

2. a person who dies by their own choice and action

2.nounB2
Definition

a person who dies by their own choice and action

Example

The coroner identified the suicide as a retired teacher from Tainan.

Support groups offer comfort to the families of suicides in the community.

collocation: families of suicides

Common collocations
  • families of suicides
Synonyms

Usage Note

This sense is uncommon and can sound clinical or impersonal. In everyday English, phrases like 'people who die by suicide' or 'suicide victims' are more natural.

3. an action that has the likely result of destroying your own success or position

3.nounB2
Definition

an action that has the likely result of destroying your own success or position

Example

Raising prices during a recession would be political suicide for any government.

collocation: political suicide

The manager knew that rejecting the merger meant career suicide.

collocation: career suicide

Common collocations
  • political suicide
  • career suicide
  • economic suicide
  • professional suicide
  • social suicide
  • moral suicide
Synonyms
  • self-destruction

    broader; can describe gradual patterns, not just one decision

  • self-sabotage

    focuses on the psychological tendency to undermine oneself

  • ruin

    more general; does not imply the person caused it themselves

Antonyms

Usage Note

This figurative sense is always about a specific action or decision, not a general state. It combines with nouns that name the area being damaged: political, career, social, economic, professional.

Common Mistakes

Not studying for the test was suicide for my grades.
Not studying for the test was academic suicide.
the collocation pattern needs a domain noun: political, career, social, etc.

suicide — adjective

suicide — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four terms relate to causing harm to oneself, but they differ in scope and connotation. 'Suicide' (noun/1) refers specifically to the deliberate act of ending one's life. 'Self-destruction' is broader — it covers any behaviour that gradually harms one's health, relationships, or future, with or without conscious intent. 'Self-harm' is distinct: it involves injuring oneself (e.g. cutting) as a coping mechanism, typically without suicidal intent. 'Taking one's own life' is a euphemistic alternative to 'suicide' that many people find gentler and less clinical. In news reporting, 'died by suicide' and 'took his own life' are now more common than older formulations. For example: 'The actor took his own life at age 36' sounds more respectful than 'The actor committed suicide.'

suicide ↗self-destructionself-harmtaking one's own life

Common collocations

Nouns

  • suicide rate
  • suicide risk
  • suicide prevention
  • suicide attempt
  • suicide note

Phrases

  • die by suicide
  • attempt suicide
  • contemplate suicide
  • survive a suicide attempt

Prepositions

  • suicide among
  • suicide in
  • suicide of
  • suicide by

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The word 'suicide' was formed in modern Latin as 'suicidium', from 'sui' (of oneself) and 'caedere' (to kill). It entered English in the mid-17th century, replacing older phrases like 'self-murder' and 'self-homicide'. The modern sense of ending one's own life on purpose has remained stable since then, while the figurative meaning (as in 'political suicide') developed in the 19th century.