self-denial

[self-di-nahy-uhl, self-]

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.

self-denial

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• self-denying adjective
• self-denyingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of self-denial¹

First recorded in 1635–45