1,070 undergraduates (aged 16-46 yrs) rated the word suicide on scales reflecting the evaluative (good vs bad) and potency (strong vs weak) dimensions of suicide. Ss were classified as high risk (HR), moderate risk (MR), or low risk for attempted suicide based on responses to the hopelessness scale & 4 risk items. While suicide is in general perceived very negatively, HR Ss rated suicide as less bad & less weak than did their lower risk peers. 14 refs.