suicide
suicide — noun
1. the act of deliberately ending your own life
the act of deliberately ending your own life
Nikhil's uncle died by suicide, leaving the family in deep shock.
collocation: die by suicide (preferred modern phrasing)
Studies show that suicide rates rise during periods of economic hardship.
collocation: suicide rates
A student's suicide led the school to hire a full-time counsellor.
Talking openly about suicide can help prevent it, Trang learned from her therapist.
- self-killing
clinical or technical; very rare in everyday speech
- taking one's own life
gentler, more euphemistic phrasing; common in formal writing and news reports
- self-destruction
broader meaning that can include gradual harmful behaviour, not necessarily a single act
用法筆記
In modern English, 'die by suicide' is preferred over 'commit suicide', which some people feel has a judgmental or criminal tone. Use 'die by suicide', 'take one's own life', or 'end one's life' instead.
常見錯誤
2. a person who dies by their own choice and action
a person who dies by their own choice and action
The coroner identified the suicide as a retired teacher from Tainan.
Support groups offer comfort to the families of suicides in the community.
collocation: families of suicides
The documentary focused on the stories of young suicides in Japan.
Researchers found that many suicides had seen a doctor in the month before their death.
- suicide victim
more common in news and public health; some feel it implies a passive role
- person who died by suicide
longer but considered the most respectful phrasing
用法筆記
This sense is uncommon and can sound clinical or impersonal. In everyday English, phrases like 'people who die by suicide' or 'suicide victims' are more natural.
3. an action that has the likely result of destroying your own success or position
an action that has the likely result of destroying your own success or position
Raising prices during a recession would be political suicide for any government.
collocation: political suicide
The manager knew that rejecting the merger meant career suicide.
collocation: career suicide
For a young actor, turning down that film role was professional suicide.
The CEO called the expansion plan economic suicide and stopped it immediately.
- self-destruction
broader; can describe gradual patterns, not just one decision
- self-sabotage
focuses on the psychological tendency to undermine oneself
- ruin
more general; does not imply the person caused it themselves
- self-preservation
the instinct to protect one's own success or well-being
用法筆記
This figurative sense is always about a specific action or decision, not a general state. It combines with nouns that name the area being damaged: political, career, social, economic, professional.
常見錯誤
suicide — adjective
1. connected with or involving the deliberate act of ending your own life
connected with or involving the deliberate act of ending your own life
The police found a suicide note on the kitchen table.
collocation: suicide note
Hui volunteers for a charity that runs a suicide hotline for young people.
collocation: suicide hotline
The hospital now uses a new method for suicide risk assessment.
His sudden calmness after weeks of distress was a clear suicide warning sign.
- suicidal
the more common adjective for describing a person's state or feelings; 'suicide' as adjective is limited to nouns describing the act itself
用法筆記
This adjective is almost always used before a noun (attributive position), not after a linking verb. Common compound nouns include suicide note, suicide attempt, suicide bomber, and suicide prevention.
常見錯誤
suicide — verb
1. to choose to end your own life rather than continue living
to choose to end your own life rather than continue living
The patient suicided while on a short leave from the hospital.
verb: intransitive, clinical register
After the investigation began, the former director suicided in his apartment.
The report noted that several elderly residents had suicided in the past year.
According to the file, the suspect suicided before the police arrived.
- die by suicide
the preferred modern phrasing; works as a verb phrase
- kill oneself
more direct and common in everyday speech
用法筆記
The verb 'suicide' (to suicide / suicided / suiciding) is rare and belongs to formal or clinical language. In everyday English, people say 'died by suicide' or 'killed themselves'. Avoid using 'suicide' as a verb in general writing — it can sound jarring or technical.