ascetic

adjective

as·​cet·​ic ə-ˈse-tik How to pronounce ascetic (audio)
a-
variants or less commonly ascetical
1
: practicing strict self-denial as a measure of personal and especially spiritual discipline
an ascetic monk
an ascetic diet
2
: austere in appearance, manner, or attitude
ascetic noun
ascetically adverb

Did you know?

If you’ve been refraining from adding ascetic to your vocabulary, it’s time to let your hair down and live a little! In other words, be the opposite of ascetic. Ascetic comes from askētikos, a Greek adjective meaning “laborious,” and its earliest meaning in English implies the labor involved in abstention from pleasure, comfort, and self-indulgence as a spiritual discipline. These days, ascetic is also used to describe anyone or anything demonstrating marked restraint, plainness, or simplicity, even when no appeals to the divine or spiritual are attached, making it not unlike another adjective with connections to ancient Greece: spartan.

Choose the Right Synonym for ascetic

severe, stern, austere, ascetic mean given to or marked by strict discipline and firm restraint.

severe implies standards enforced without indulgence or laxity and may suggest harshness.

severe military discipline

stern stresses inflexibility and inexorability of temper or character.

stern arbiters of public morality

austere stresses absence of warmth, color, or feeling and may apply to rigorous restraint, simplicity, or self-denial.

living an austere life in the country

ascetic implies abstention from pleasure and comfort or self-indulgence as spiritual discipline.

the ascetic life of the monks

Examples of ascetic in a Sentence

Patterson's collection begins on the walls of the stairway to his basement. "That's where Cindy draws the line. That's probably a real good idea," he says. Mattsson, ascetic for a bachelor, imposes the same rule on himself. LeBeau, who has never been married, is much less restrained. Tom Harpole, Air & Space, December 1999/January 2000
By Hollywood standards, Calley's career path may seem enigmatic, but then, so is his personality. If Mark Canton, the previous Sony president, was the boastful, Armani-clad big spender, Calley is downright ascetic, a man who disdains Hollywood profligacy. Peter Bart, GQ, August 1997
He converted to Catholicism and, after a long period of intense self-questioning, became a Trappist monk at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, which, at the time, was as ascetic and demanding as any monastery of the Middle Ages. Julius Lester, Falling Pieces of the Broken Sky, 1990
Recent Examples on the Web Lez Brotherston’s set is a sterile crescent of white subway tile, a looming and ascetic canvas for the explosive, colorful passions that erupt upon it. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 2 Feb. 2024 The arrival of Raf Simons has erased them, taking the core of Prada towards a cold and almost ascetic detachment, typical of the Belgian culture from which the designer comes. Andrea Batilla, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Jan. 2024 Unlike his ascetic approach, she's found ways to suck the marrow from life and is the only one able to emphasize his own hypocrisy. EW.com, 10 Nov. 2023 Not a retired ascetic, but a man who had seen his fair share of the ups and downs of life and finding that human companionship and an empathy for someone else lifted him out of his depression as well. Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 28 Nov. 2023 Despite its ascetic appearance, the short scribe was one of the most powerful demonstrations of Black love in journalism. Essence, 4 Dec. 2023 An ascetic lifestyle was required to resist these forces. Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Nov. 2023 Phoenix spent his years in Hollywood cultivating an image of ascetic wholesomeness. Martha Frankel, SPIN, 31 Oct. 2023 Fabiola, an aristocratic 4th-century Roman physician who became a Christian ascetic, is depicted nearly full length and posed dynamically in front of decorative red walls modeled on those of Pompeii. Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ascetic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Greek askētikos, literally, laborious, from askētēs one that exercises, hermit, from askein to work, exercise

First Known Use

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ascetic was in 1646

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Dictionary Entries Near ascetic

Cite this Entry

“Ascetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ascetic. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ascetic

adjective
as·​cet·​ic ə-ˈset-ik How to pronounce ascetic (audio)
a-
1
: following a practice of not giving in to one's desires especially as a means of religious discipline
an ascetic way of life
2
: harshly simple : austere
ascetic surroundings
ascetic noun
asceticism noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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