euthanasia

American  

[yoo-thuh-ney-zhuh, -zhee-uh, -zee-uh] / ˌyu θəˈneɪ ʒə, -ʒi ə, -zi ə /

noun

1. Also called mercy killing.  the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, a person or animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition.

2. painless death.

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euthanasia British  

/ ˌjuːθəˈneɪzɪə /

noun

1. Also called: mercy killing.  the act of killing someone painlessly, esp to relieve suffering from an incurable illness

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euthanasia Scientific  

/ yo̅o̅′thə-nā′zhə /

1. The act or practice of painlessly ending the life of an animal or a willing individual who has a terminal illness or incurable condition, as by giving a lethal drug.

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euthanasia Cultural  

1. Painlessly putting someone to death — usually someone with an incurable and painful disease; mercy killing.

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Discover More

Proposals to make euthanasia legal in the United States have inspired heated debate.

Other Word Forms

• euthanasiast noun
• euthanasic adjective
• proeuthanasia adjective

Etymology

Origin of euthanasia

1640–50; < New Latin < Greek euthanasía an easy death, equivalent to eu- eu- + thánat ( os ) death + -ia -y ³

Explanation

Euthanasia is the act of causing a person's or animal's death, without inflicting pain, to end suffering, like when a veterinarian performs euthanasia on a dog that is in great pain and has no chance of recovery. To correctly pronounce euthanasia, remember that it sounds like "youth in Asia." Euthanasia is sometimes referred to as mercy killing, meant to spare a living thing a slow, painful death. Originally a Greek word, euthanasia means "an easy or happy death," as eu- means "good" and thanatos means "death." The use of the word as "legally sanctioned mercy killing" is first recorded in English in 1869.

Example Sentences

Among the challenges Amster will face are a rising euthanasia rate.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

Dychtwald also expects that active and passive euthanasia might become openly discussed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

Spain is one of a handful of European countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, that have passed laws allowing euthanasia to be carried out by physicians.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

As of Monday, three dogs at the shelter with stress-related concerns were listed for euthanasia, Ramirez said, though she clarified that euthanasia rates had not gone up in recent weeks due to the isolation.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

After euthanasia, thousands of fraudulent death certificates were issued, citing diverse causes of death—some of them markedly absurd.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

• assisted dying