1
as in sacrifice
voluntary restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites
They moved off the grid to live a life of austerity.
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2
as in gruffness
the quality or state of being stern and serious in manner or appearance
His air of austerity tends to put others off.
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3
as in misery
the state of lacking sufficient money or material possessions
His family spent years living in austerity during the recession.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of austerity
But in Argentina, a harsh austerity program under libertarian President Javier Milei may have hobbled the country’s ability to respond to the fires, researchers said, citing budget cuts to firefighting crews, a lack of planning and deregulation of tourism activities in Patagonia’s national parks.
—
Isabel Debre, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Antiques layered into a comfortable, practical palette help strike the balance between austerity and warmth.
—Hannah Coates, Vogue, 28 Jan. 2026
While deficit reduction is necessary, the CRFB warned that rapid implementation of such austerity measures during a weak economy could trigger the worst economic contraction in nearly a century.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2026
The austerity gives her plenty of room to writhe, mug, and moan between occasional shots of an inflatable Martian and a tropical-looking Tiffany lamp.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for austerity
Isabel Debre, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
Antiques layered into a comfortable, practical palette help strike the balance between austerity and warmth.
—Hannah Coates, Vogue, 28 Jan. 2026
While deficit reduction is necessary, the CRFB warned that rapid implementation of such austerity measures during a weak economy could trigger the worst economic contraction in nearly a century.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2026
The austerity gives her plenty of room to writhe, mug, and moan between occasional shots of an inflatable Martian and a tropical-looking Tiffany lamp.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for austerity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for austerity
Noun
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Their courage and sacrifice remind us that freedom is never free.—
Kyle Werner,
Des Moines Register,
7 Mar. 2026
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Davis is wry and quietly defiant of stereotype, her Elaine’s composure hard-won and her sacrifice of certain kinds of sympathy fully comprehensible.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Mackay and Turner are both excellent, two movie stars who seem totally game to be asked to move with real gruffness.—
Sam Bodrojan,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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So many terrible things happen that the reader develops a kind of flinch, bracing for the next calamity whenever there is a brief lull in the misery.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
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Earlier, on the beach, João predicted that Eddy would still try something with Alesia despite the boyfriend obstacle, but the future of their dynamic rests on whether Alesia will find it in herself to put her long-distance boyfriend out of his misery and do what’s right.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In all areas of life, optimism lights the spark, while discipline keeps the fire burning.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
3 Mar. 2026
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Parents have simply moved past these methods of discipline, and have more practical, more effective ways of teaching their kids to be successful adults.—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Beyond their asceticism, the six members of the group - Daniela Avanzini, Lara Raj, Manon Bannerman, Megan Skiendiel, Sophia Laforteza, and Yoonchae Jeung - hail from different countries, including the Philippines, South Korea, Switzerland, and the United States.—
Doug Melville,
Forbes.com,
26 Aug. 2025
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Frayne writes that some second- and third-century sects, such as the Encratites, Priscilliantists, and Manicheans, advocated against meat eating, typically as part of a broader asceticism that might also include celibacy.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Sight deprivation in early years may also shape how people see the world in the long term.—
Sachin Rawat,
Big Think,
2 Mar. 2026
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Jacob Francisallen Clare pleaded guilty to kidnapping from outside California and deprivation of child custody with a sentencing enhancement for kidnapping a child younger than 14, all felonies.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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In February 2004, Castaneda Negrete was convicted of first-degree burglary and unlawful restraint, officials said.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
5 Mar. 2026
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That restraint could have been used as a moment of national unity and reform.—
Pegah Banihashemi,
Mercury News,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The war’s impact on inflation depends on its severity and duration as well as the magnitude of the disruption at the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow corridor through which one in five barrels of oil around the world flow.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
4 Mar. 2026
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The severity of McBride’s injury put more emphasis on the Knicks front office to fill the void behind Brunson.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Austerity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/austerity. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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