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ascetic

[ uh-set-ik ]
/ əˈsɛt ɪk /
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See synonyms for: ascetic / ascetics on Thesaurus.com
noun
a person who dedicates their life to a pursuit of contemplative ideals and practices extreme self-denial or self-mortification for religious reasons.
a person who leads an austerely simple life, especially one who abstains from the normal pleasures of life or shuns material satisfaction.
(in the early Christian church) a monk; hermit.
adjective Also as·cet·i·cal [uh-set-i-kuhl] /əˈsɛt ɪ kəl/ .
relating to asceticism, the doctrine that one can reach a high spiritual state through the practice of extreme self-denial or self-mortification.
rigorously abstinent; austere: an ascetic existence.
exceedingly strict or severe in religious exercises or self-mortification.
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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

OTHER WORDS FROM ascetic

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ascetic

acetic, aesthetic, ascetic

Words nearby ascetic

Ascensiontide, ascensive, ascent, ascertain, ascesis, ascetic, asceticism, Asch, Aschaffenburg, Ascham, aschelminth
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to ascetic

austere, disciplined, abstinent, spartan, abstaining, abstemious, puritanical, strict

How to use ascetic in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ascetic

ascetic
/ (əˈsɛtɪk) /
noun
a person who practises great self-denial and austerities and abstains from worldly comforts and pleasures, esp for religious reasons
(in the early Christian Church) a monk
adjective Also: as'cetical
rigidly abstinent or abstemious; austere
of or relating to ascetics or asceticism
intensely rigorous in religious austerities

Derived forms of ascetic

ascetically, adverb

Word Origin for ascetic

C17: from Greek askētikos, from askētēs, from askein to exercise
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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