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)
The Reporter (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin)
self-injure
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
Tamala M. Edwards
Examples of self-injury in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
As a result, parents may be unaware of their teens early or worsening symptoms, including self-injury, up to 80% of the time.
—Jessica Schleider, STAT, 1 Apr. 2024
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
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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
As a result, parents may be unaware of their teens early or worsening symptoms, including self-injury, up to 80% of the time.
—Jessica Schleider, STAT, 1 Apr. 2024
Dictionary Entries Near self-injury
Cite this Entry
“Self-injury.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-injury. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.
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