death wish
Americannoun
-
desire for one's own death or for the death of another.
-
Psychiatry. a suicidal desire, manifested by passivity, withdrawal, and absorption in nihilistic thoughts, that may eventually lead to suicidal behavior.
noun
Etymology
Origin of death wish
First recorded in 1910–15
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That so-called lust for life looks a lot like a death wish.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
If Evy is virtually alone in a house where strange noises are occurring at all hours, what would possess her to put on noise-canceling headphones, other than a death wish?
From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026
An attack on him was a "death wish by the attacker" he said, and he thanked Congress for approving more money for the Secret Service.
From BBC • Sep. 25, 2024
In the Northwest, winter hiking can feel like an exercise in misery at best and a possible death wish at worst, but not in Arizona.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 9, 2024
“First Dana Matherson, now Beatrice the Bear. You got a death wish, Tex?”
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
