self-destructive
Americanadjective
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harmful, injurious, or destructive to oneself.
His constant arguing with the boss shows he's a self-destructive person.
-
reflecting or exhibiting suicidal desires or drives.
Careless driving may be a self-destructive tendency.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of self-destructive
First recorded in 1645–55
Explanation
Behavior that harms you physically, or puts you in physical danger, is self-destructive — like riding behind a city bus on your skateboard or living on nothing but potato chips and Coke. If you act in a way that could hurt you, your actions are self-destructive. Not getting enough sleep night after night can be self-destructive. Other self-destructive actions are dangerous in a different way. It's self-destructive for someone to spend their paycheck gambling at a casino, or for an office worker to steal money from the company they work for. Destructive is rooted in the Latin destruere, "demolish," or literally "un-build."
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.
According to GlobalSecurity, a private nonpartisan research organization on defense issues, it’s unlikely Meink was talking about any sorts of “kinetic” weapons—i.e., weapons that unleash bullets or bombs—since the resulting debris could also be self-destructive.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
“That Buzz Busby was a frustrating, self-destructive, supremely talented figure remains beyond dispute,” write the authors, Kip Lornell and Tom Mindte.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
But the actor never found an equal role, partly because his talent was married to a deep self-destructive streak.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
Before the Paris Games, Peaty shared his struggles with injury and his mental health, describing the period as a "self-destructive spiral".
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
What deep readings his modified sensibility might make of human suffering, of the self-destructive folly or sheer bad luck that drive men toward ill health!
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
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