self-flagellation
noun
self-flag·el·la·tion
ˌself-ˌfla-jə-ˈlā-shən 
: extreme criticism of oneself
Examples of self-flagellation in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Both the criticism and self-flagellation imply that the act of claiming another person’s words can render these words deceitful, even if the words have been paid for and the content is true.
—
Emily Hodgson Anderson, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
Huerta shouldn’t have to engage in this rite of self-flagellation, of course, but she and Chavez are linked by their legacies as two of the greatest civil rights fighters in our history.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
The struggle and self-flagellation devoted to the doomed attempt to stop wasting time is likely merely another way to waste your time.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Others, including Halverson, would like to see the self-flagellation calm down.
—Joshua Partlow, The Atlantic, 17 Mar. 2026
The same could be said for Howe’s lacerating self-flagellation afterwards.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2026
At the same time, invisibility has come as a relief, insofar as my vanity always kept company with self-consciousness and self-flagellation.
—Lucinda Rosenfeld, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
The technique was initially practiced alone, but in 1260 a hermit in Perugia launched a movement, and organized processions of mass self-flagellation broke out across Italy.
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
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Emily Hodgson Anderson, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
Huerta shouldn’t have to engage in this rite of self-flagellation, of course, but she and Chavez are linked by their legacies as two of the greatest civil rights fighters in our history.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
The struggle and self-flagellation devoted to the doomed attempt to stop wasting time is likely merely another way to waste your time.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Others, including Halverson, would like to see the self-flagellation calm down.
—Joshua Partlow, The Atlantic, 17 Mar. 2026
The same could be said for Howe’s lacerating self-flagellation afterwards.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2026
At the same time, invisibility has come as a relief, insofar as my vanity always kept company with self-consciousness and self-flagellation.
—Lucinda Rosenfeld, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
The technique was initially practiced alone, but in 1260 a hermit in Perugia launched a movement, and organized processions of mass self-flagellation broke out across Italy.
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-flagellation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-flagellation. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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