self-injury

noun

self-in·​ju·​ry ˌself-ˈin-jə-rē 

ˌself-ˈinj-rē

: injury to one's own body

The dog's excessive licking led to self-injury.

especially : the act of purposely hurting oneself (as by cutting or burning the skin) as an emotional coping mechanism : self-harm

The most common forms of self-injury include cutting, burning, punching or banging oneself. … These techniques provide a sense of calm from overwhelming feelings, but the momentary relief is followed by feelings of guilt and shame.

—The Reporter (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin)

self-injurious

ˌself-in-ˈju̇r-ē-əs 

adjective

self-injurious behaviors

self-injure

ˌself-ˈin-jər 

intransitive verb

self-injured; self-injuring; self-injures

Sufferers have traditionally been met with disgust by doctors, who find their self-injuring offensive.

—Tamala M. Edwards

Examples of self-injury in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That lawsuit alleged the state’s prison system didn’t allow Canter to continue with her hormone therapy regimen, leading to multiple self-injury attempts by Canter and medical issues stemming from estrogen withdrawal. —Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 4 Nov. 2024

Secondly, while self-injury isn’t necessarily a suicide attempt, data suggests the former can sometimes be a precursor to suicidality. —Kristen Rogers, CNN, 30 Oct. 2024

Regulators in both the United States and Europe opened investigations into the issue after reports of possible cases of self-injury and suicidal thoughts among people using the drugs, but both thus far have not identified a link. —Meg Tirrell, CNN, 15 Oct. 2024

The cumulative effects of American inaction amount to self-injury. —Christopher S. Chivvis, Foreign Affairs, 14 Oct. 2024

Studies have shown that women and girls tend to have more suicidal ideation, attempts and self-injury. —Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 26 Sep. 2024

Clinical trials have shown that DBT successfully reduces some of the key features of borderline, such as self-injury and suicidal behavior and hospitalizations, as well as other symptoms. —Diana Kwon, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2022

This action can be comforting and might be enough to calm your toddler down and stop the self-injury. —Amy Morin, Parents, 8 July 2024

In December, Qiao Zhihong, a leading Chinese psychologist, observed that over the past three years, there has been a considerable increase in the number of students with depression, anxiety, self-injury, and suicide. —Yanzhong Huang, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1864, in the meaning defined above