self-punishing

adjective

self-pun·​ish·​ing ˌself-ˈpə-ni-shiŋ How to pronounce self-punishing (audio)
: acting or serving to punish oneself
self-punishing thoughts
… it squared with what they knew about the troubled soul of Meriwether Lewis; … how hard he was on himself; … and how self-punishing he was when he felt that he was not meeting his own or the world's expectations.Clay S. Jenkinson

Examples of self-punishing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But, for whatever self-punishing reason, disdained a coat. Graham Swift, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-punishing.' 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

circa 1586, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of self-punishing was circa 1586

Dictionary Entries Near self-punishing

Cite this Entry

“Self-punishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-punishing. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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