variants
also ascetical
as in monastic
formal
relating to or having a strict and simple way of living that avoids physical pleasure
He committed to having an ascetic existence during his rehab. an ascetic diet of rice and beans
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Dissimilar Words
as in prude
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ascetic
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
Later in life Foucault will become more ascetic, but not yet.
—
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Cal Revely-Calder,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ascetic
Adjective
Housed in a bulletproof case, the delicate bones reveal the saint’s ascetic life while strict security protects relics from historical theft.
—
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
Later in life Foucault will become more ascetic, but not yet.
—
Literary Hub,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
With a few edits, the book could pass for an anarchist tract; with a few more, for the work of a Christian ascetic.
—
Cal Revely-Calder,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ascetic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ascetic
Adjective
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This results in highly architectural and ornate garments and textiles built through tension, geometry, and monastic focus.
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There’s something monastic about the way he’s taken on Red Lobster.
Noun
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Martha didn’t want to be a prude.
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In fact, the prudes among us might need hand fans.
Adjective
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China is, of course, an authoritarian state which has been criticized for maintaining a mass-surveillance system, while Brazil regained democracy in 1985 after two decades of military dictatorship.
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Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt’s 2018 book, How Democracies Die, argues that the most decisive figures in the success or failure of an authoritarian attempt are the would-be authoritarian’s ideological allies.
Noun
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Calvano will play Joni, Ginger’s daughter, and a budding lawyer who’s a super straight arrow.
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Good student, good football player, straight arrow.
Adjective
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Alex Ross dives into the œuvre of a thinker whose work was omnivorous, exacting, and hopeful.
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The restoration required four years of work, during which local artisans carefully restored the frescoes and ceilings in accordance with the most exacting traditional standards.
Adjective
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Ukraine has faced unrelenting Russian missile and drone attacks against key strategic targets in its major cities since the first day of the war, an air campaign that continues to reach new heights.
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The capital continued to see unrelenting pressure on its hospitals, with a second consecutive day of nearly 3,000 people seeking care in public hospital emergency rooms, about a third more than normal.
Adjective
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And in Season Two, Survival of the Thickest went all out on a dream wedding for Peppermint, an idea Buteau was adamant about making it on screen.
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Advertisement Throughout negotiations, Tehran has been adamant that any cease-fire with Washington must also end the hostilities between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, and that any permanent truce must lead to Israel withdrawing its forces from southern Lebanon.
Adjective
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Often made by anonymous rappers and producers with a monkish dedication to their craft, this isn’t rap for the live show but for the headphones, music where every muttered word and barely-there snare matters.
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Designed with the neighboring 12th-century Abbaye de Sénaque in mind, the monkish minimalism—polished dark wood, long, bone-white corridors—add to the unique quality of this attractive space.
Cite this Entry
“Ascetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ascetic. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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