ascetic

American  

[uh-set-ik] / əˈsɛt ɪk /

noun

• ascetics
  plural

1. 

   a person who dedicates their life to a pursuit of contemplative ideals and practices extreme self-denial or self-mortification for religious reasons.

2. a person who leads an austerely simple life, especially one who abstains from the normal pleasures of life or shuns material satisfaction.

3. (in the early Christian church) a monk; hermit.

   Synonyms:

   cenobite, recluse, anchorite

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adjective

1. relating to asceticism, the doctrine that one can reach a high spiritual state through the practice of extreme self-denial or self-mortification.

2. rigorously abstinent; austere.

   an ascetic existence.

   Synonyms:

   plain, frugal, strict

   Antonyms:

   self-indulgent

3. exceedingly strict or severe in religious exercises or self-mortification.

   Synonyms:

   fanatic

ascetic British  

/ əˈsɛtɪk /

noun

1. a person who practises great self-denial and austerities and abstains from worldly comforts and pleasures, esp for religious reasons

2. (in the early Christian Church) a monk

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adjective

1. rigidly abstinent or abstemious; austere

2. of or relating to ascetics or asceticism

3. intensely rigorous in religious austerities

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonascetic
  noun
• nonascetical
  adjective
• preascetic
  adjective
• pseudoascetic
  adjective
• pseudoascetical
  adjective
• unascetic
  adjective
• ascetically
  adverb
• nonascetically
  adverb
• pseudoascetically
  adverb
• unascetically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• ascetics
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of ascetic

First recorded in 1640–50; from Greek askētikós “subject to rigorous exercise, hardworking,” equivalent to askē- ( see ascesis) + -tikos adjective suffix; see -tic

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Explanation

Want to live an ascetic lifestyle? Then you better ditch the flat panel TV and fuzzy slippers. To be ascetic, you learn to live without; it's all about self-denial. Ascetic is derived from the Greek asketes, meaning “monk,” or “hermit.” Later that became asketikos, meaning “rigorously self-disciplined,” which gives us the Modern English ascetic. Ascetic can be a noun: a person with incredible self-discipline and the ability to deprive herself, or an adjective that describes such a people or their lifestyle.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ascetic ascetics

It draws its beliefs from the teachings of Lord Swaminarayan, a late 18th-Century celibate ascetic who is regarded by his followers as an incarnation of Vishnu, the revered Hindu god of preservation.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

But, as Stone makes clear in her video content, her definition of liking or even loving a husband is both laborious and ascetic to an extreme.

From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026

Churchill was a short, stout, luxury-loving aristocrat, while de Gaulle was a tall, angular ascetic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026

And at this precise moment, amid a coalition burned out on self-flagellation and ascetic living, a Totenkopf has been deemed forgivable.

From Slate ● Apr. 13, 2026

Siddhartha now also realized why he had struggled in vain with this Self when he was a Brahmin and an ascetic.

From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse

They tend to conjure images of monks meditating in the mountains or ascetics living in desert caves.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2024

"People live like ascetics for 10 years or more to educate themselves well," wrote another Zhihu user.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2023

Many ascetics played a leading role in their communities, sometimes extending beyond the realm of civil behavior.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023

Or consider 12th century Taoist ascetics who thought sleep deprivation could bring them closer to the truth.

From Salon ● Jan. 9, 2023

Most of it he contributed anonymously to the monks of a local monastery—humble ascetics who had dedicated their lives to raising German police dogs.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger

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Related Words

• austere
• disciplined

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