Standard Lemma guide

euthanasia

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /juː.θəˈneɪ.zi.ə/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /juːθəˈneɪʒə/
  • Canada, General-American: yo͞o"thənā'zhə
  • Canada, General-American: /ˌjuθəˈneɪʒə/
  • California: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Texas: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian, New-Zealand: /ˌjʉːθəˈnæɪʒə/
  • CMU ARPABET: Y UW2 TH AH0 N EY1 ZH AH0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: Y UW2 TH AH0 N EY1 ZH Y AH0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The practice of intentionally killing a human being or animal in a humane way, especially in order to end suffering.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

Examples

  • Euthanasia is the most difficult part of a veterinarian's job.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mercy killing

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The practice of killing a human being who is considered a liability to society, especially a disabled person.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Nazism, especially, euphemistic, uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

An easy death, or the means to bring about such a death.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the act of killing someone painlessly (especially someone suffering from an incurable illness)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mercy killing

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: killing, kill, putting to death

History

Etymology

First attested in 1606, from Ancient Greek εὐθανασία (euthanasía), from εὐ- (eu-, “good”) + θάνατος (thánatos, “death”)

Across languages

Translations

60 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: vdekje e lehtë — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Arabic: قَتْلٌ رَحِيم (qatlun raḥīm) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Armenian: էվթանազիա (ēvtʻanazia) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Azerbaijani: evtanaziya — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Bashkir: эвтаназия (evtanaziya) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Belarusian: эўтана́зія (ewtanázija) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Bulgarian: евтана́зия (evtanázija) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Catalan: eutanàsia — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Chinese Mandarin: 安樂死 /安乐死 (ānlèsǐ) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Chinese Mandarin: 人道毀滅 /人道毁灭 (réndào huǐmiè) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Czech: eutanazie — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Danish: eutanasi — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Dutch: euthanasie — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Esperanto: eŭtanazio — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Estonian: eutanaasia — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Finnish: eutanasia — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Finnish: armomurha — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Finnish: lopettaminen — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • French: euthanasie — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Galician: eutanasia — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Georgian: ევთანაზია (evtanazia) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • German: Euthanasie — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Greek: ευθανασία (efthanasía) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Hebrew: המתת חסד — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Hindi: इच्छामृत्यु (icchāmŕtyu) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Hungarian: eutanázia — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Icelandic: líknardráp — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Indonesian: eutanasia — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Irish: eotanáis — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Italian: eutanasia — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Japanese: 安楽死 (anrakushi) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Japanese: オイタナジー (oitanajī) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Japanese: ユータナジー (yūtanajī) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Japanese: ユーサネイジア (yūsaneijia) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Japanese: 殺処分 (satsu shobun) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Kazakh: эвтаназия (évtanaziä) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Korean: 안락사 (allaksa) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Northern Kurdish: otanazî — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Kyrgyz: эвтаназия (evtanaziya) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Latin: euthanasia — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Norwegian: eutanasi — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Persian: اتانازی (otânâzi) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Polish: eutanazja — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Portuguese: eutanásia — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Romanian: eutanasie — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Russian: эвтана́зия (evtanázija) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Serbo-Croatian: еутаназија — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Serbo-Croatian: eutanazija — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Slovak: eutanázia — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Slovene: evtanazija — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Spanish: eutanasia — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Swedish: eutanasi — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Thai: การุณยฆาต (gaa-run-yá-kâat) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Turkish: ötanazi — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Ukrainian: евтана́зія (evtanázija) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Ukrainian: ейтана́зія (ejtanázija) — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Vietnamese: an tử — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Volapük: deadiyuf — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Welsh: ewthanasia — practice of killing a human being or animal
  • Welsh: marwolaeth esmwyth — practice of killing a human being or animal
Real reading context

euthanasia in complete knowledge articles