Meanings
nounparasuicide (countable and uncountable, plural parasuicides)
plural parasuicides
- countableuncountableA supposed suicide attempt that was not intended to succeed.
Health staff have shown negative attitudes to parasuicide patients.
2001, Alexandra Hough, Physiotherapy in Respiratory Care, page 4181 more example
This phenomenon, known as parasuicide, is at least 10 times more common than suicide; however, the exact prevalence of such acts is unknown.
1996, Felice Lieh Mak, Carol C Nadelson, International Review of Psychiatry: Volume 2
Origin
From para- (“resembling”) + suicide. Coined by American author Norman Krietman in 1977.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Portuguese parassuicídio
- parassuicídioTranslations
Spanish parasuicidio
- parasuicidioTranslations
Cite this entry
APA
parasuicide. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/parasuicide
MLA
“parasuicide.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/parasuicide. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “parasuicide,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/parasuicide.
Source: parasuicide on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.