Word
suicidal
Phoneticssui·ci·dal
US/ˌsuəˈsaɪdəɫ/
UK/sˌuːɪsˈaɪdəl/
Definitions
01wanting to end one's life
adj. feeling so unhappy or hopeless that you want to kill yourself.
adj. relating to or likely to commit suicide; describing a person experiencing a mental health crisis involving self-harm ideation.
“The doctor was very concerned because the patient felt suicidal after losing his job.”
“Medical professionals are trained to identify suicidal ideation in patients who may not explicitly state their intention to harm themselves.”
Usage
Often used with the verb 'feel' or 'be'.
Synonyms
02extremely dangerous or reckless
adj. describing an action that is so risky it will probably lead to death or a complete disaster.
adj. describing a course of action that is likely to result in the death of the participants or the total destruction of an enterprise.
“Driving that fast on these icy roads is absolutely suicidal.”
“The general argued that a frontal assault on such a heavily fortified position would be suicidal for the infantry.”
Informal
Teaching tip
In informal contexts, this is used as a strong hyperbole for any very risky decision, not just physical danger.
03a person at risk
n. a person who is likely to try to kill themselves.
n. an individual who is likely to commit or attempt to commit suicide.
“The clinic provides a safe space and 24-hour care for potential suicidals.”
“The study followed a group of known suicidals to determine which intervention methods were most effective at preventing self-harm.”
Formal
Usage
This noun use is less common than the adjective and can sound clinical or dated.
Real-World Examples
“Chatbots may not recognize signs of self-harm or suicidal thoughts as a person would.” “US Central Command (CENTCOM) posted on X on Friday that this claim, as well as that of sailors expressing suicidal ideation, were false.” Etymology
From suicide + -al.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Word family
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/suicidal