asceticism
the manner of life, practices, or principles of an ascetic.
the doctrine that a person can attain a high spiritual and moral state by practicing self-denial, self-mortification, and the like.
rigorous self-denial; extreme abstinence; austerity.
Origin of asceticism
1Other words from asceticism
- non·as·cet·i·cism, noun
Words Nearby asceticism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use asceticism in a sentence
Fasting falls under tapas or asceticism, which also varies by degree between the laity and monastics.
Fasting May Have Become a Health Fad, But Religious Communities Have Been Doing It For Millennia | LGBTQ-Editor | July 30, 2021 | No Straight NewsMy Down Under over-the-top lifestyle compensated for my “real” life asceticism in the United States.
I Can’t Shake Hawaii: An Ode to Returning to Places You’ve Been Before | Debra A. Klein | October 7, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThis makes you, at turns, desirous of luxury and monkish asceticism, as you strike a balance between the two.
Both shared an asceticism and intellectualism, encouraged by the Jesuits.
Hunger and penury had carved lines as easy to read in her face as the traces of asceticism and fear.
An Episode Under the Terror | Honore de Balzac
He renounces asceticism, and wanders to a spot more congenial to his changed views and condition.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume I | John LordAs a grass blade if badly grasped cuts the arm, badly practised asceticism leads to hell.
Ancient Faiths And Modern | Thomas InmanComing after a period of colour asceticism, Prudhon was the first to show a fine feeling for colour.
The History of Modern Painting, Volume 1 (of 4) | Richard MutherIt is towards that men will strain themselves with the asceticism of saints.
The Napoleon of Notting Hill | Gilbert K. Chesterton
British Dictionary definitions for asceticism
/ (əˈsɛtɪˌsɪzəm) /
the behaviour, discipline, or outlook of an ascetic, esp of a religious ascetic
the principles of ascetic practices, esp in the early Christian Church
the theory and system of ascetic practices
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
Cultural definitions for asceticism
[ (uh-set-uh-siz-uhm) ]
An austere, simple way of life in which persons renounce material pleasures and devote their energy to moral or religious purpose.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse