suicidal

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   relating to suicide, or experiencing thoughts or intentions of ending one's own life

   The clinician asked whether the patient felt suicidal and arranged immediate support.

2. 2
   adj

   recklessly self-destructive or likely to cause disastrous failure

   Launching the attack without supplies would have been suicidal.

Formed from suicide + -al. Suicide was coined from Latin sui ("of oneself") + -cide, from caedere ("to kill"). The figurative sense applies the idea of self-destruction to policies, plans, or actions likely to ruin the person or group undertaking them.

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