self-destructive
adjective
self-de·struc·tive
ˌself-di-ˈstrək-tiv 
: acting or tending to harm or destroy oneself
self-destructive behavior
self-destructiveness
noun
Examples of self-destructive in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Over the course of Obsession's 108-minute runtime, Nikki transforms into an self-destructive, possessive, and dangerously violent shadow of her former self as Bear's spell forces her to fixate solely on her unnatural devotion to him—no matter the cost.
—
Megan McCluskey, Time, 15 May 2026
What could be a tonal whiplash instead feels seamless, thanks in no small part to Eyre-Morgan, whose performance anchors his lead’s self-destructive spiral.
—David Opie, IndieWire, 4 May 2026
This second season is once again poking at inertia and stasis and how romantic relationships can crumble into a series of self-destructive choices.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
How does an economy fall into such a self-destructive cycle?
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Apr. 2026
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Megan McCluskey, Time, 15 May 2026
What could be a tonal whiplash instead feels seamless, thanks in no small part to Eyre-Morgan, whose performance anchors his lead’s self-destructive spiral.
—David Opie, IndieWire, 4 May 2026
This second season is once again poking at inertia and stasis and how romantic relationships can crumble into a series of self-destructive choices.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
How does an economy fall into such a self-destructive cycle?
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for self-destructive
Cite this Entry
“Self-destructive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-destructive. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
self-destructive
adjective
self-de·struc·tive
-ˈstrək-tiv
: acting or tending to harm or destroy oneself
self-destructive behavior
also
: suicidal
self-destructively
adverb
self-destructiveness
noun
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