self-immolation

[self-im-uh-ley-shuhn]

noun

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

self-immolation

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of self-immolation¹

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

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.

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Ms. Spanberger at the debate had clearly internalized that her chief aim was to avoid a mistake like Terry McAuliffe’s self-immolation in the 2021 gubernatorial debate with Mr. Youngkin.

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

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But also, there’s a hunger for leadership in opposition to this administration, and the Democrats are losing an opportunity to be those leaders with their endless self-immolation.

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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.

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Related Words

• persecution