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
Related Words
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Dissimilar Words
as in prude
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ascetic
Mia Barzilay Freund, Vogue, 7 July 2025
But Pascal, for all the twinkle in his eye, often plays relatively sexless characters — from the fatherly energy of The Last of Us to the ascetic qualities of The Mandalorian.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 9 June 2025
Martin lived an ascetic and solitary life, and often denounced overly cerebral art.
—Melissa Febos, The Atlantic, 9 June 2025
And yet when people need a portal into or proxy for spiritual awakening, Alice Coltrane’s music often becomes integral, a newfound household name, because her staggered textures are gracious enough to accommodate both the ascetic and the philistine.
—Harmony Holiday, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ascetic
Noun
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
But Pascal, for all the twinkle in his eye, often plays relatively sexless characters — from the fatherly energy of The Last of Us to the ascetic qualities of The Mandalorian.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 9 June 2025
Martin lived an ascetic and solitary life, and often denounced overly cerebral art.
—Melissa Febos, The Atlantic, 9 June 2025
And yet when people need a portal into or proxy for spiritual awakening, Alice Coltrane’s music often becomes integral, a newfound household name, because her staggered textures are gracious enough to accommodate both the ascetic and the philistine.
—Harmony Holiday, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ascetic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ascetic
Adjective
-
By the 5th century, Armenia had adopted Christianity as its state religion, and monastic winemaking became a cornerstone of its culture and economy.—
Layne Randolph,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
-
Pitchfork, by contrast, had a near monastic devotion to talking about music as music.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Give the Original ‘Twister’ a Spin Barbara Peeters is no prude.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
19 July 2024
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Despite a handful of prudes trying their best to spoil the fun.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
4 July 2024
Adjective
-
Tanks rumbled through Tiananmen Square, a location that offered a stark reminder of how authoritarian states can violently crush democratic movements.—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
-
On Thursday morning, opposition party Vente Venezuela denounced the detention of Julio Velazco, a local activist involved with the campaign of Maria Corina Machado, the main opposition leader who is still in hiding after the authoritarian push that followed the election.—
Andrew Raine,
CNN Money,
4 Sep. 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
-
The watch is offered in exceptional condition, preserved in line with the most exacting standards of connoisseurship, the auction house said.—
Anthony DeMarco,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
-
Eight games of Champions League football will also be a more exacting midweek test than last season’s six Conference League mismatches.—
Liam Twomey,
New York Times,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
But on an evening back in July, inordinate rainfall led to unrelenting floodwaters ravaging the lower level of Pledger’s home.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
3 Sep. 2025
-
But its unrelenting misery has a way of flattening rather than deepening the characters at its heart, until the story feels like less than the sum of its parts.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
As such, Mahomes evidently not only is immune to complacency but actually has become more adamant with success.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
4 Sep. 2025
-
After taking a year off to improve his health, Renfrow was adamant about playing for the Panthers.—
DIAMOND VENCES,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
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 10 Sep. 2025.
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