euthanasia

American  

[yoo-thuh-ney-zhuh, -zhee-uh, -zee-uh] / ˌju θəˈneɪ ʒə, -ʒi ə, -zi ə /

noun

• euthanasias
  plural

1. Also called mercy killing. the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, a person or animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition.

2. painless death.

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euthanasia British  

/ ˌjuːθəˈneɪzɪə /

noun

1. Also called: mercy killing. the act of killing someone painlessly, esp to relieve suffering from an incurable illness

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euthanasia Scientific  

/ yo̅o̅′thə-nā′zhə /

1. The act or practice of painlessly ending the life of an animal or a willing individual who has a terminal illness or incurable condition, as by giving a lethal drug.

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euthanasia Cultural  

1. Painlessly putting someone to death — usually someone with an incurable and painful disease; mercy killing.

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Discover More

Proposals to make euthanasia legal in the United States have inspired heated debate.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• euthanasiast
  noun
• euthanasic
  adjective
• proeuthanasia
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• euthanasias
  plural

Etymology

Origin of euthanasia

1640–50; < New Latin < Greek euthanasía an easy death, equivalent to eu- eu- + thánat ( os ) death + -ia -y ³

Explanation

Euthanasia is the act of causing a person's or animal's death, without inflicting pain, to end suffering, like when a veterinarian performs euthanasia on a dog that is in great pain and has no chance of recovery. To correctly pronounce euthanasia, remember that it sounds like "youth in Asia." Euthanasia is sometimes referred to as mercy killing, meant to spare a living thing a slow, painful death. Originally a Greek word, euthanasia means "an easy or happy death," as eu- means "good" and thanatos means "death." The use of the word as "legally sanctioned mercy killing" is first recorded in English in 1869.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

euthanasia euthanasias

“Decisions involving the humane euthanasia of an animal are difficult and complex,” the county agency said in a written statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

She recognizes the risks to vulnerable people, and hints at the observation that euthanasia by way of organ donation would treat the prospective donor as a means to an end, violating their inherent human dignity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Among the challenges Amster will face are a rising euthanasia rate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026

Dychtwald also expects that active and passive euthanasia might become openly discussed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026

After euthanasia, thousands of fraudulent death certificates were issued, citing diverse causes of death—some of them markedly absurd.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Larger dogs can take up to twice as long to get adopted, exacerbating overcrowding and leading to more euthanasias, she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 22, 2024

The number of euthanasias performed during those hours at the Baldwin Park shelter could not be determined because many of its time stamps were missing from records.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2023

Time stamps on records reviewed by The Times appear to show that euthanasias were performed during those hours for nonmedical reasons at most county shelters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2023

In a different era, the intense animal hoarding might have been handled with back-to-back euthanasias rather than rehousing the cats.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 13, 2020

Every day, five to 12 euthanasias are performed at PVSEC, the region’s largest specialty and emergency veterinary center, seeing several hundred cases a day.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 8, 2017

Related Words

• assisted dying