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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Recent Examples of abnegation
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
Where to go in a world where every slight, every frown, every chagrin, every cloud and every rainy day is a cause for outrage, denunciation, shame, self-abnegation and maybe even a congressional investigation or two?
—WSJ, 14 June 2021
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
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
Where to go in a world where every slight, every frown, every chagrin, every cloud and every rainy day is a cause for outrage, denunciation, shame, self-abnegation and maybe even a congressional investigation or two?
—WSJ, 14 June 2021
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
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This isn’t to say that this refusal is a good thing; many haven’t rejected these aspects of the American Dream by choice.—
Alice Lassman,
Time,
8 Sep. 2025
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According to de Veer, the refusal of his request to include his extended version of the theme that included the popular motif later in the show was one of the main sources of contention during the making of Season 3.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Oddly, the move comes not as a renunciation but as a new adventure.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
15 Aug. 2025
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Moscow has persisted on a set of maximalist conditions to cease the devastating war in Ukraine, including the retainment of occupied territories, Kyiv's renunciation of its ambitions to join the NATO alliance and fresh elections in the invaded country.—
Ruxandra Iordache,
CNBC,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
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This is not just the violence of batons or bullets, but the quieter devastation inflicted by law through denial, deferral or bureaucratic neglect.—
Hansel Alejandro Aguilar,
Mercury News,
6 Sep. 2025
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For those battling severe disease, foundation staffers can work with you one-on-one to fight a denial.—
Lauren Sausser,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abnegation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abnegation. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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