self-denial

American  

[self-di-nahy-uhl, self-] / ˈsɛlf dɪˈnaɪ əl, ˌsɛlf- /

noun

1. the sacrifice of one's own desires; unselfishness.

2. an act or instance of restraining or curbing one's desires.

   To reduce, one has to practice self-denial at the dinner table.

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self-denial British  

noun

1. the denial or sacrifice of one's own desires

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Other Word Forms

• self-denying adjective
• self-denyingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of self-denial

First recorded in 1635–45

Example Sentences

But I didn’t want to “surrender” to anything, nor to spend my whole life making amends and walking a path of eternal deprivation and self-denial like I saw in popular recovery communities.

From Slate • Feb. 15, 2026

So the question facing him was whether another four-year cycle of discipline and self-denial was worth it for the chance to bridge that blink of an eye.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 25, 2025

Or they might miss out on joyous experiences by living in constant self-denial.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 24, 2025

The divinators expect the pendulum to swing to the opposite extreme as society is seized by an urge for escapism after so many months of suffering and self-denial.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 30, 2021

Jefferson’s nearly Herculean powers of self-denial also helped keep the cause pure, at least in the privacy of his own mind.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis