asceticism

Definition of asceticismnext

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of asceticism Upon his election, Bergoglio took the name Francis after Saint Francis of Assisi, who was known for his asceticism and ministry to the poor. Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 23 Apr. 2025 The bout of asceticism didn’t deter her from finishing a quarter of the album, however. Arimeta Diop, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025 Louise tells tales of drunkenness, asceticism, death. Hervé Guibert, Harper's Magazine, 2 Nov. 2024 And, for a population just one generation removed from near-universal poverty, Western celebrations of India’s mystical asceticism hold little appeal. Peter Martin, Foreign Affairs, 15 Apr. 2015 See All Example Sentences for asceticism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for asceticism
Noun
  • But ultimately, the Church’s key qualm is rooted in spirituality.
    Marci Robin, Allure, 6 Mar. 2026
  • The approach holds science and spirituality together, recognising that each addresses a different dimension of human suffering, and that durable healing requires both.
    Kaitlyn Gomez, USA Today, 27 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • There's a sort of a natural world religiousness or spirituality or philosophy that swells around a lot of things and different characters.
    Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 6 Jan. 2026
  • Key measures of religiousness have remained remarkably stable since 2020, according to recent Pew Research Center polling.
    Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
Noun
  • Even adversaries in the Arab world have never sunk to attacking the holiness of the Western Wall.
    Steven Burg, Sun Sentinel, 23 Feb. 2026
  • Singh, who would be our local guide, always wore the five traits of a pious Sikh man — uncut hair (symbolizing strength and holiness and topped by the identifying turban), a steel bracelet, wooden comb, sheathed dagger and a baggy undergarment dating back to the Sikhs’ warrior days on horses.
    Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 4 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Better Go Mad in the Wild, Sinéad O’Shea’s capitalism and morality doc All About the Money, and Werner Herzog’s nature film Ghost Elephants.
    Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 9 Mar. 2026
  • Agents do not seek truth or morality.
    Victoria Bousis, Rolling Stone, 9 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • In the years following Wallace’s death, this aura of saintliness likely derived from the combination of his moral seriousness as a fiction writer—his attunement to the heroism of private suffering and emotional endurance—and the fact of his premature end.
    Hermione Hoby, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • To ensure the sanctity of the grand jury, its proceedings and the identities of the grand jurors and witnesses are unavailable to the public.
    Barbara Jaffe, New York Daily News, 4 Mar. 2026
  • Even then, the sanctity of the home and the right to privacy were seen as core American principles, shared across the political spectrum.
    Amanda Cats-Baril, Twin Cities, 4 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The intensity of devotion can feel a bit like that.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
  • For over a decade, Claire and Jamie Fraser have loved each other across centuries, continents, and wars; their devotion as enduring as the Highland mist that first enveloped their story.
    Carly Witteman, Vogue, 3 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • At its core, this transit is a reminder that clarity is power and in Virgo’s world, cleanliness really is next to godliness.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Cowliness is next to godliness.
    Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 11 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Asceticism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/asceticism. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.

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