as in refusal
the act or practice of giving up or rejecting something once enjoyed or desired
the couple's sudden abnegation of life in the fast lane for work as missionaries stunned everyone
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abnegation
The life that Alharthi describes is one of almost saintly self-abnegation.
—
Ron Charles, Washington Post, 24 May 2022
His naïve insolence punctures the vanities of other filmmakers while offering no alternative, and the movie that results is a joyless, confused self-abnegation.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2022
That abnegation of critical judgment is the most important feature of the 1994 statement.
—Michael Bérubé, The New Republic, 21 Mar. 2022
The explicit and quasi-religious abnegation of the right to violent self-defense put the national committee at odds with one of its key allies during the Saturday march: Black Lives Matter.
—Samantha Eyler, Foreign Affairs, 31 Jan. 2017
See All Example Sentences for abnegation
Ron Charles, Washington Post, 24 May 2022
His naïve insolence punctures the vanities of other filmmakers while offering no alternative, and the movie that results is a joyless, confused self-abnegation.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2022
That abnegation of critical judgment is the most important feature of the 1994 statement.
—Michael Bérubé, The New Republic, 21 Mar. 2022
The explicit and quasi-religious abnegation of the right to violent self-defense put the national committee at odds with one of its key allies during the Saturday march: Black Lives Matter.
—Samantha Eyler, Foreign Affairs, 31 Jan. 2017
See All Example Sentences for abnegation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abnegation
Noun
-
But Canales’ refusal to give Dowdle a far larger percentage of the carries than Hubbard based on the recent results just doesn’t pass the smell test with me.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Oct. 2025
-
His refusal didn’t sit well with her.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Sweet Dove Died is considered Pym’s most Jamesian work and there are inflections of the Master in the themes of falling out of love, renunciation, and collecting—the pursuit of beauty falling short.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Oddly, the move comes not as a renunciation but as a new adventure.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Gibson, meanwhile, stuck to his denials.—
Omar Jimenez,
CNN Money,
26 Oct. 2025
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As the attacks were ongoing, so was a parallel exchange of accusations, denials, and access reversals.—
Anna Halford,
Time,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abnegation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abnegation. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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