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

---

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

---

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

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

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

Turnbull may have better success in bringing often ascetical Liberal colleagues with him by dressing climate change policies as a tool to offset a slowing Australian economy, analysts said.

From Reuters • Sep. 14, 2015

The dangers of intellectual pride are many and grave, and we do well to discipline ourselves and our students in the moral and ascetical controls of this as of all other vices.

From Time Magazine Archive

They have studied these matters intensely, whereas far too much of our ascetical literature echoes the monastic viewpoint of life in the religious community.

From Time Magazine Archive

He published a work entitled /Guida Spirituale/ in 1675, the ascetical principles of which attracted so much attention that translations of the book appeared almost immediately in nearly every country of Europe.

From History of the Catholic Church from the Renaissance to the French Revolution — Volume 1 by MacCaffrey, James

That northern "custody of the senses" which is not an ascetical exercise, but an inner illumination thrown upon them.

From Rome by Malleson, Hope

Related Words

• austere
• disciplined