self-immolation

American  

[self-im-uh-ley-shuhn] / ˈsɛlfˌɪm əˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

1. voluntary sacrifice or denial of oneself, as for an ideal or another person.

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self-immolation British  

noun

1. the act or an instance of setting fire to oneself

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Etymology

Origin of self-immolation

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, these reporters can’t help but do what they do, so in love with their jobs, they press on, smiling at their own self-immolation.

From Los Angeles Times

All this comes on the heels of some questionable behavior and ill-advised alliances, among them: the divorce from Sarah “Fergie” Ferguson, hanging around with Jeffrey Epstein, and the self-immolation by TV interview in 2019.

From The Wall Street Journal

It amounted to the “self-immolation of his own credibility,” said Assistant Dist.

From Los Angeles Times

He won’t get the credit he deserves for this terrific comic torment because it just feels like another Tim Robinson masterclass in self-immolation.

From Los Angeles Times

Roberts was an erratic maniac, no doubt, but much of what he learned about the dark arts of self-immolation came from his father, Walter, a screenwriter during the glory days of radio drama who then started his own theater in Atlanta, where Roberts was raised.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• persecution