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
Cal Revely-Calder, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Henry Wiencek
july 22, Literary Hub, 22 July 2025
Quarantine by Jim Crace This 1997 novel follows Jesus during his 40-day ascetic retreat to a desert cave.
—Mia Barzilay Freund, Vogue, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ascetic
Adjective
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
Noun
Wells was as quiet as White was loud, as eccentric as White was flamboyant, as ascetic as White was sensual.
—Henry Wiencek
july 22, Literary Hub, 22 July 2025
Quarantine by Jim Crace This 1997 novel follows Jesus during his 40-day ascetic retreat to a desert cave.
—Mia Barzilay Freund, Vogue, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for ascetic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ascetic
Adjective
-
Delas Francois de Tournon is named for the monastic order of Jesuits who resided in this area in the 17th century.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
23 Oct. 2025
-
With a frill-less monastic setting, this institution has several London locations, but Smithfield is the OG, serving signature dishes like roasted bone marrow and oven-hot madeleines available by the dozen and half dozen.—
Nicole Trilivas,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In fact, the prudes among us might need hand fans.—
Sandra Gonzalez,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
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Give the Original ‘Twister’ a Spin Barbara Peeters is no prude.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
19 July 2024
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, the country moves into an authoritarian state and Josh's family faces the ramifications.—
Ralphie Aversa,
USA Today,
31 Oct. 2025
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But any agreement reached will be just one touchstone in a thorny and volatile great power rivalry between the world’s superpower democracy and an authoritarian China, whose growing military assertiveness under Xi in the East and South China Seas is rattling US allies in the region.—
Betsy Klein,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
There’s often some kind of hitch, but still, most agents are straight arrows who play by the book.—
LEW SICHELMAN,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2025
-
Purdy was such a straight arrow as a kid, his worst transgressions were playing doorbell ditch, Patchett said.—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
The Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2024
Adjective
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Comparable in size to the Arc de Triomphe, the Porte Monumentale also contained surface ornamentation based on Haeckel’s exacting lifelong documentation of organisms to be found in the world’s oceans.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
-
These methods, while less exacting, are also woefully undemocratic, allowing lawmakers to act independently from and against the interests of the American public.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Sacks, interceptions and unrelenting pressure lifted the Titans to a 34-0 victory at Trailblazer Stadium.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Dickmann’s Smoke Elimination Committee met 13 times over a winter that seemed unrelenting in darkness.—
Robert Wyss,
The Conversation,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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When asked about his name being mentioned as this season’s coaching carnage continues, Danielson — a native of Southern California and graduate of Azusa Pacific University east of Los Angeles — remained adamant in his commitment to Boise State.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
30 Oct. 2025
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But Díaz-Balart, who sits on the House appropriations committee that helps draft spending bills, insists Republicans won’t cave to demands and is adamant short-term extensions are not the solution.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The festival would know that better than most, juxtaposing classical music—and its expectation of monkish silence—with the heart of Chicago’s downtown, and the human mix therein.—
Hannah Edgar,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Aug. 2025
-
Obama has retreated into monkish silence, broken only for special occasions such as celebrity deaths and the recording of Bruce Springsteen podcasts.—
Isaac Chotiner,
The New Yorker,
17 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Ascetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ascetic. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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