self-abandonment

noun

self-aban·​don·​ment ˌself-ə-ˈban-dən-mənt How to pronounce self-abandonment (audio)
1
: a lack of self-restraint
2
: a surrender of one's selfish interests or desires

Examples of self-abandonment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Khaled himself maintains a mysterious inertia that turns Matar’s narrative into a deep and detailed exploration not so much of abandonment as of self-abandonment: the story of a man split in two, one who cannot quite tell the story that would make the parts cohere again. The New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2024 The novelist Thomas Mann thought that German expressionism and Nazism both sprang from the same root of emotional self-abandonment. Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 22 June 2023

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

Word History

First Known Use

1777, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-abandonment was in 1777

Dictionary Entries Near self-abandonment

Cite this Entry

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

More from Merriam-Webster on self-abandonment

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