suicidal

[soo-uh-sahyd-l]

adjective

1. pertaining to, involving, or suggesting suicide.

2. tending or leading to suicide.

3. foolishly or rashly dangerous.

   He drives at a suicidal speed.

suicidal

/ ˌsjuː-, ˌsuːɪˈsaɪdəl /

adjective

1. involving, indicating, or tending towards suicide

2. liable to result in suicide

   a suicidal attempt

3. liable to destroy one's own interests or prospects; dangerously rash

Other Word Forms

• suicidally adverb
• pseudosuicidal adjective
• unsuicidal adjective
• unsuicidally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of suicidal¹

First recorded in 1770–80; suicide + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Musk got this “suicidal empathy” language from Gad Saad, a Canadian college professor who falsely presents himself as an “evolutionary behavioral scientist.”

Read more on Salon

Last month, OpenAI published a study based on ChatGPT usage that found the mental health conversations that trigger safety concerns like psychosis, mania or suicidal thinking are “extremely rare.”

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What is known is that suicidal ideation can look very different in autistic kids.

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In one 2023 study, autistic kids with an IQ of 120 or higher were nearly six times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than autistic children with an average IQ.

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Hodgson’s parents told police their son “had been depressed since being on administrative leave, but they stated he was not suicidal and did not have any suicidal ideations,” according to the report.

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Related Words

• dangerous 
• deadly 
• depressed 
• destructive 
• fatal 
• lethal