self-immolation

[ self-im-uh-ley-shuhn ]

noun

1. voluntary sacrifice or denial of oneself, as for an ideal or another person.

self-immolation

noun

1. the act or an instance of setting fire to oneself

Word History and Origins

Origin of self-immolation¹

First recorded in 1810–20

Example Sentences

Roberts was an erratic maniac, no doubt, but much of what he learned about the dark arts of self-immolation came from his father, Walter, a screenwriter during the glory days of radio drama who then started his own theater in Atlanta, where Roberts was raised.

From Los Angeles Times

There have been arrests and a shocking self-immolation.

From Seattle Times

His death, captured in an iconic photo by American photographer Malcolm Browne, drew global attention to Vietnam — and to political self-immolation.

From Salon

In its coverage of Bushnell’s death, New York Magazine noted that “since the Vietnam War, self-immolation has been a dramatic but rare act of protest” while The Daily Beast has called Azzarello’s death “part of a startling trend” of such deaths in the United States.

From Salon

Bouazizi’s self-immolation catalyzed the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia as well as a series of antigovernment uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East, often called the “Arab Spring.”

From Salon

Related Words

• persecution