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Glite Dictionary
self-death

self-death

9.9
An act of ending your life or your old identity to begin a new life
  • noun
  • /sɛlf-dɛθ/
  • NSFW
translation icon : autodestrucción
  • The novel's protagonist undergoes a symbolic self-death, emerging with a new sense of identity.

Examples

  • Therapists sometimes discuss self-death when exploring radical changes in self-concept.

  • Many artists speak of self-death as a necessary part of their creative process.

  • Artists have used the theme of self-death to represent the shedding of old habits or beliefs.

  • He experienced a profound self-death during his journey of self-discovery.

  • The novel's protagonist undergoes a symbolic self-death, emerging with a new sense of identity.

  • He experienced a profound self-death during his journey of self-discovery.

  • Therapists sometimes discuss self-death when exploring radical changes in self-concept.

Synonyms

suicide
vsself-death
  • NSFW
918 5.3

An act of ending your own life on purpose

is often used figuratively to mean personal transformation or inner exploration
self-destruction
vsself-death
2 8.1

An act of causing your own death on purpose

is used more broadly to describe inner change rather than only the literal act
self-annihilation
vsself-death
  • NSFW
1 9.9

The act of killing yourself

is framed more as a metaphor for inner exploration and personal change

Antonyms

life
∞ 1.0

The time from birth to death when a person is alive

self-preservation
32 3.9

A natural desire to protect yourself from harm

How Transformative

self-death
  • NSFW
9.9
transformation
241 3.7
rebirth
12 5.3
change
∞ 1.1

Surface Forms

self-death singular
self-deaths plural

Morphology

self-death = self + death (semi-transparent) = self + death

Formally a direct compound of 'self' + 'death' whose literal meaning (ending one's life) is clear, but the specialized/metaphorical sense of ego dissolution or personal transformation may not be obvious to average learners.

Etymology

Self-death comes from the parts self ('own') and death ('end' or 'finish'), so it really means the 'ending of the self'. Artists and therapists use this strong image to talk about either the act of ending one's life or, more often, the idea of shedding old habits and starting a new identity.