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
-
There’s a moving moment of magnanimity, which won’t be given away here, that proves the underlying dignity of a people broken by an authoritarian state.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The plot of His Dark Materials is driven by the long-running conflict between Pullman’s heroine, a bold, lithely intelligent 11-year-old named Lyra, and the Magisterium, an authoritarian incarnation of Christianity.—
Lev Grossman,
The Atlantic,
23 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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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
-
Another essay in the collection, written by Sarah Maitland, is more exacting.—
Anna Bruno
September 19,
Literary Hub,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Dickmann’s Smoke Elimination Committee met 13 times over a winter that seemed unrelenting in darkness.—
Robert Wyss,
The Conversation,
21 Oct. 2025
-
At Mazzulla’s constant urging, the coaches played with unrelenting intensity, especially on the defensive end.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Back in January 2024, when Sportico was first to report on Florida State’s conversations with Sixth Street and Arctos Partners, many around the process were adamant to point out that those conversations were private credit (or private capital), not private equity.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
22 Oct. 2025
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Giuffre was adamant that the pain, including several attempts at suicide in the past few years, was part of her story.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 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
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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 29 Oct. 2025.
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