euthanasia

American  

[yoo-thuh-nay-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

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Etymology

Origin of euthanasia

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

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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

Experts say it is too early to judge the outcome of the transfers, especially considering the whales were facing euthanasia and had been living in an ageing facility.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Claire Brosseau, a woman with treatment resistant bipolar 1 disorder who is part of the federal case challenging Canada's current laws, told the BBC earlier this year that euthanasia would offer her "a safe death".

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Not long before Pope Leo’s visit, French lawmakers legalized assisted suicide and euthanasia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

Cat euthanasia rates at Los Angeles shelters have climbed this year, partially due to limited spay and neuter vouchers and the high cost of veterinary care, animal advocates say.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

“Even the agreement for euthanasia if final decision on such a step is necessary.”

From "The Martian Chronicles" by Ray Bradbury

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

“I’ve noted that Palmdale and Lancaster have a disproportionately large amount of euthanasias labeled as behavior,” the senior staffer wrote, adding that they had decided to look more closely at the numbers for those shelters.

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

The number of euthanasias is high because many pet owners cannot afford the complex medical intervention needed to save a pet’s life.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 8, 2017

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Related Words

• assisted dying

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