SELF-DENIAL Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

self-denial

noun

ˌself-di-ˈnī(-ə)l

Definition of self-denial

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

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

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 self-denial 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 See All Example Sentences for self-denial

Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-denial

Noun

Many ostrich defenders had truly suffered from those measures—refusal to abide by public-health rules had cost some of them their jobs, homes, even access to their children.

— J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
The remarks stand in stark contrast to Trump’s earlier posture toward Greenland, which had included months of combative rhetoric, tariff threats and a refusal to rule out military force to acquire the island.

— Alejandra Jaramillo, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of refusal

Noun

One of his favorite artifacts is a Humber bicycle from 1889 or 1890, used when a Baptist seminary was in the community, which was founded as a Baptist temperance area.

— Melinda Moore, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026
Over his shoulder was an enormous portrait of the hatchet-wielding temperance crusader Carrie Nation, an icon of resistance to the excesses of the first Gilded Age, when similar discontent had roiled the prairies.

— Kyle Paoletta, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of temperance

Noun

This goes counter to Disney’s official stance, which is a flat denial that Covid had anything to do with one Bob stepping down and another stepping up.

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
While discussing UnitedHealthcare and its denial of insurance claims, Oliver gave an example of a patient who had to pay $95,000 out of pocket for cancer treatment after a claim was denied.

— Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of denial

Noun

This renunciation has had little impact on their progeny, who already studied them for years and viewed their content as a portrait of a viable future.

— Margaux MacColl, Vanity Fair, 11 Aug. 2026
Then, over the following years, came sustainability and strict reuse and ascetic renunciation, and today, finally, its photo series and articles advocated for a mild, slightly quirky anticapitalist metaphysics.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 July 2026

Definition of renunciation

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

Definition of abnegation

Browse Nearby Words

self-critical

self-denial

self-denials

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“Self-denial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-denial. Accessed 30 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of self-denial

noun

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