1
as in refusal
the act or practice of giving up or rejecting something once enjoyed or desired
dieting is an endless exercise in self-denial
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in temperance
voluntary restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites
self-indulgent even when she was poor, she wasn't about to practice self-denial after getting rich
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of self-denial
What begins as an effortful act of self-denial gradually becomes an expression of identity.
—
Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
At the beginning of her relationship with John, Carolyn’s central problem was that being part of the Kennedy family demanded some level of self-denial.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
On Ash Wednesday, many Christians go to church for a service that emphasizes the start of a season of reflection, self-denial and repentance from sin.
—ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026
Old family patterns or inner-child wounds could surface, not to derail you, but to remind you that leadership doesn’t mean emotional self-denial.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 21 Dec. 2025
Crace transports readers two thousand years into the past to a stark Biblical landscape full of visceral encounters, violence, self-denial, and possible miracles.
—Mia Barzilay Freund, Vogue, 7 July 2025
But the biblical term for self-denial – inui – has another meaning.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 7 Oct. 2024
Loneliness gets to the heart of the spiritual dissatisfaction and self-denial seen post-Covid and in both the pro-Hamas and pro–George Floyd rioting.
—Armond White, National Review, 10 May 2024
When the connection between them intensifies, Daniel becomes unsatisfied with clandestine hookups, wanting more, while Jack’s self-denial and wariness of potential exposure are tough habits to kick.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
At the beginning of her relationship with John, Carolyn’s central problem was that being part of the Kennedy family demanded some level of self-denial.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
On Ash Wednesday, many Christians go to church for a service that emphasizes the start of a season of reflection, self-denial and repentance from sin.
—ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026
Old family patterns or inner-child wounds could surface, not to derail you, but to remind you that leadership doesn’t mean emotional self-denial.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 21 Dec. 2025
Crace transports readers two thousand years into the past to a stark Biblical landscape full of visceral encounters, violence, self-denial, and possible miracles.
—Mia Barzilay Freund, Vogue, 7 July 2025
But the biblical term for self-denial – inui – has another meaning.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 7 Oct. 2024
Loneliness gets to the heart of the spiritual dissatisfaction and self-denial seen post-Covid and in both the pro-Hamas and pro–George Floyd rioting.
—Armond White, National Review, 10 May 2024
When the connection between them intensifies, Daniel becomes unsatisfied with clandestine hookups, wanting more, while Jack’s self-denial and wariness of potential exposure are tough habits to kick.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-denial
Noun
-
Wilson was devastated by losing debates about the design of Congress and the presidency, and in particular by the convention’s refusal to acknowledge the centrality of regular people to the government.—
Jesse Wegman,
The Atlantic,
20 June 2026
-
Roosevelt’s refusal settled, for a century, that in America only the people are sovereign.—
Gautam Mukunda,
Mercury News,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
In the winter of 1920, the United States entered Prohibition in the United States after years of campaigning by temperance groups who believed alcohol sat at the root of many social ills.—
Kate Hardcastle,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
Another was promoting temperance realizing alcoholism could destroy families.—
Myrna Petlicki,
Chicago Tribune,
9 June 2026
Noun
-
Safety net hospitals also have fewer resources than more affluent hospitals to deal with denials from Medicaid managed care organizations, which occur when health insurers and other organizations that administer Medicaid benefits for the state deny payment for certain claims.—
Lisa Schencker,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2026
-
The same pattern of denial appeared in law as well.—
Andy J. Semotiuk,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
Noun
-
Despite a 2019 public renunciation, MSV secretly governs 70% of public firms, hindering true economic progress.—
Steve Denning,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
-
Carney is a moralist, a filmmaker of fidelity—and of renunciation, depicting the romantic near-misses and what-ifs that his characters leave behind.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Not one for false abnegation of words distorted by smears, Rushdie doubles down on his right to freedom of expression, defending his dissent from religious orthodoxy.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Jan. 2026
-
That, for me, feels like an abnegation of our responsibility in theater.—
Sarah Crompton,
Vogue,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-denial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-denial. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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