self-immolation
noun
self-im·mo·la·tion
ˌself-ˌi-mə-ˈlā-shən 
: a deliberate and willing sacrifice of oneself often by fire
Examples of self-immolation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Through self-immolation, Bushnell made a desperate plea: Don’t be complicit in genocide, act now.
—
Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2024
This effort has included the suggestion that, on top of being supremely noble, self-immolation is also a conventional form of political protest, ...
—Becket Adams, National Review, 3 Mar. 2024
In the past few years, self-immolation has reëmerged as a form of protest in Putin’s Russia.
—Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2024
Sunday's incident appears to be the second instance of self-immolation in response to the war.
—Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2024
Within Arab circles, especially, the symbolism of a self-immolation is potent: a Tunisian fruit vendor who burned himself to death in 2011 set off pro-democracy rebellions that toppled dictators and upended the Middle East.
—Hannah Allam, Washington Post, 26 Feb. 2024
Palach’s self-immolation in 1969 protesting the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia that ended the blossoming is lore in our people’s history.
—Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 1 Jan. 2024
The lasting social-media imprint of 2023 may not be the self-immolation of Twitter but rather that short-form videos—on TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms—have tightened their choke hold on the internet.
—Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The Atlantic, 21 Dec. 2023
Between 2009 and 2022, 157 people committed self-immolations in Tibet calling for the return of the Dalai Lama and freedom for Tibetans.
—Lobsang Sangay, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2023
Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2024
This effort has included the suggestion that, on top of being supremely noble, self-immolation is also a conventional form of political protest, ...
—Becket Adams, National Review, 3 Mar. 2024
In the past few years, self-immolation has reëmerged as a form of protest in Putin’s Russia.
—Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2024
Sunday's incident appears to be the second instance of self-immolation in response to the war.
—Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2024
Within Arab circles, especially, the symbolism of a self-immolation is potent: a Tunisian fruit vendor who burned himself to death in 2011 set off pro-democracy rebellions that toppled dictators and upended the Middle East.
—Hannah Allam, Washington Post, 26 Feb. 2024
Palach’s self-immolation in 1969 protesting the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia that ended the blossoming is lore in our people’s history.
—Petula Dvorak, Washington Post, 1 Jan. 2024
The lasting social-media imprint of 2023 may not be the self-immolation of Twitter but rather that short-form videos—on TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms—have tightened their choke hold on the internet.
—Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The Atlantic, 21 Dec. 2023
Between 2009 and 2022, 157 people committed self-immolations in Tibet calling for the return of the Dalai Lama and freedom for Tibetans.
—Lobsang Sangay, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-immolation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1799, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near self-immolation
Cite this Entry
“Self-immolation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-immolation. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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