self-inflicted

American  

[self-in-flik-tid, self-] / ˈsɛlf ɪnˈflɪk tɪd, ˌsɛlf- /

adjective

1. inflicted by oneself upon oneself.

   a self-inflicted wound.

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self-inflicted British  

adjective

1. (of an injury) having been inflicted on oneself by oneself

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Other Word Forms

• self-infliction
  noun

Etymology

Origin of self-inflicted

First recorded in 1775–85

Example Sentences

As my former boss Marty Baron told my former colleague Ruth Marcus in the New Yorker in February, Bezos’ turnaround has been “sickening” to witness: “a case study in near-instant, self-inflicted brand destruction.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Four managers - Nuno Espirito Santo, Ange Postecoglou, Sean Dyche and now Vitor Pereira - later and it remains realistic despite the self-inflicted chaos this season.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

He will never not have his detractors, skilled at ticking off all the self-inflicted controversies, chaoses and that 2013 vacated national title that will follow him around forever.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Still, the fragility of Japan’s economy is largely self-inflicted.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

It was as if the entire civilization had undergone some self-inflicted brain surgery, and most of its memories, discoveries, ideas and passions were extinguished irrevocably.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan