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Synonyms

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.


self-immolation British  

noun

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of self-immolation

First recorded in 1810–20

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.

If he endured personal anguish after the failure of his first marriage or the self-immolation of legacy journalism, we get no hint of it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

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 • Dec. 10, 2025

His death, captured in an iconic photo by American photographer Malcolm Browne, drew global attention to Vietnam — and to political self-immolation.

From Salon • May 4, 2024

Professors of political science don’t generally cause a stir, but intellectual self-immolation is a rare spectacle.

From Slate • Nov. 21, 2022

Even from such a self-willed and contemptuously proud girl as she was, such an extremely frank avowal, such sacrifice, such self-immolation, seemed incredible.

From The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky, Fyodor

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