killing one's darlings

A form of kill one's darlings — To destroy things or characters, particularly in art, of which one is fond, often reluctantly in order to improve one's artistic output.

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Meanings

verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of kill one's darlings
Cite this entry
APA

killing one's darlings. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/killing%20one's%20darlings

MLA

“killing one's darlings.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/killing%20one's%20darlings. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “killing one's darlings,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/killing%20one's%20darlings.

Source: killing one's darlings on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.