Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for euthanasia. Search instead for euthanasic.
Synonyms

euthanasia

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

noun

  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.

euthanasia British  
/ ˌjuːθəˈneɪzɪə /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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.

euthanasia Cultural  

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

Discover More

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

Other Word Forms

  • euthanasiast noun
  • euthanasic adjective
  • proeuthanasia adjective

Etymology

Origin of euthanasia

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

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.

A Spanish woman who has conducted a long legal battle with her father for the right to end her life is due to die by euthanasia on Thursday.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

India legalised passive euthanasia in 2018 but active euthanasia - any act that intentionally helps a person kill themselves - remains illegal.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

But an error on the euthanasia form, marking the reason as overpopulation in the shelter rather than a risk to public safety, meant he was still available to ordinary adopters such as Wright.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026

"Our only options at this point are to either relocate the whales or face the devastating decision of euthanasia," a statement said.

From Barron's • Nov. 26, 2025

Yet some people felt divided on the issue of euthanasia.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

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.