Synonyms of abnegation

abnegation

noun

ˌab-ni-ˈgā-shən 

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• refusal
• renunciation
• denial
• renouncement
• repudiation
• surrender
• self-denial
• relinquishment
• resignation
• self-abnegation
• self-renunciation

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• indulgence
• acceptance
• adoption
• self-indulgence
• embrace
• espousal
• embracement

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of abnegation

That, for me, feels like an abnegation of our responsibility in theater. — Sarah Crompton, Vogue, 20 Jan. 2026

In the latter’s rewrite of the Lancelot fable, the abducted Guinevere was elevated to a glamorous ice queen commanding knightly self-abnegation. — Tina Brown, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2022

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