suicide
Loading your saved state.
suicide
The act in which a person intentionally ends their own life. In modern language, the terms 'Suizid' (suicide) or 'Freitod' (voluntary death) are often used.
Nach dem Bankrott seiner Firma sah er keinen anderen Ausweg als den Selbstmord.
After his company went bankrupt, he saw no way out other than suicide.
suicide
In a figurative sense, an action that is extremely harmful to one's own career, reputation, or interests and leads to failure.
Den gut bezahlten Job ohne einen neuen Plan zu kündigen, war beruflicher Selbstmord.
Quitting the well-paid job without a new plan was professional suicide.
The word 'Selbstmord' (suicide) is made up of 'selbst' (self) and 'Mord' (murder). So it literally describes a 'murder of oneself.'
Die Polizei schloss einen Selbstmord nicht aus.
The police did not rule out suicide.
The fixed collocation for this act is 'Selbstmord begehen' (to commit suicide). Other verbs like 'machen' (to make/do) or 'tun' (to do) are uncommon here and sound unnatural.
Die Figur im Roman versucht, Selbstmord zu begehen.
The character in the novel tries to commit suicide.
Because the word contains the element 'Mord' (murder), it can be perceived as judgmental in some situations. In medical or psychological specialist texts, it is therefore often avoided.
In der Berichterstattung über das Thema wird oft der neutralere Begriff „Suizid“ verwendet.
In reporting on the topic, the more neutral term 'Suizid' (suicide) is often used.
The figurative meaning can almost always be recognized by an additional adjective that names the area of failure. Typical examples are 'beruflicher Selbstmord' (professional suicide), 'politischer Selbstmord' (political suicide), or 'sozialer Selbstmord' (social suicide).
Den Chef öffentlich zu kritisieren, war für seine Karriere beruflicher Selbstmord.
Publicly criticizing the boss was professional suicide for his career.
suicide
Both words refer to the intentional ending of one's own life. Suizid is generally considered the more neutral and technical term today, while Selbstmord can sound judgmental or stigmatizing to some people. Suizid is therefore often the more appropriate choice in factual or sensitive information.
Der Zeitungsartikel bezeichnete den Tod als Selbstmord, was auf manche Leser wertend wirkte.
The newspaper article described the death as suicide, which sounded judgmental to some readers.
Der Bericht der Klinik sprach neutral von einem Suizid.
The clinic's report referred neutrally to a suicide.
