death wish
29
8.6
- noun
- /dɛθ wɪʃ/
- Specialized
:
deseo de morir
- He often takes reckless risks, making me wonder if he has a death wish.
- got a death wish
- kind of death wish
- sort of death wish
Then also, my psychiatrist has told me I had a death wish.
- Then also, my psychiatrist has told me I had a death wish.
Examples
-
I must have a death wish.
Fiction book (1993) -
- You may have a death wish.
-
You got some kind of death wish or something.
-
Do you have a death wish or something?
-
- Does he have a death wish?
-
You do have a death wish.
-
Do you have a death wish?
-
This coming from a guy who flies like he has got some kind of death wish.
-
And while the unions seemed to have a death wish, management simply had no clue.
Blog text (20) -
I think Riggs has a death wish.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A strong hidden wish to die or to harm yourself
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: it denotes a 'wish' concerning 'death' (i.e., a desire to die), so a B1 learner who knows both constituent words can infer the basic sense. Specialized clinical nuance (unconscious or unexpressed) may not be fully recovered, but the core meaning is transparent from the parts.
Etymology
Death wish gives a clear image: the parts death and wish show someone quietly wanting death and acting in risky or self-harming ways. So it means a secret desire 'to die' or to hurt oneself.