SELF-FLAGELLATING Synonyms: 64 Similar and Opposite Words

self-flagellating

adjective

as in altruistic

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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-flagellating At times, Carol’s admirable rebelliousness seems to come at the cost of self-flagellating destruction, a badge of honor to be miserable. — Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 8 Nov. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-flagellating

Adjective

Despite those altruistic goals, from the beginning, the commission faced criticism that the composition and agenda of the body were slanted toward a conservative Christian perspective.

— Steven K. Green, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
To my father, wellness was not a goal to be optimized, but rather something that came naturally with a curious, family-oriented, and altruistic existence.

— Ezekiel J. Emanuel, Fortune, 21 June 2026

Definition of altruistic

Adjective

While Maduro and Flores have awaited trial in a federal detention facility in Brooklyn, their home country has been grappling with a humanitarian disaster following a pair of powerful back-to-back earthquakes in June, killing at least 5,278 people.

— Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 22 July 2026
The commercial challenge is that humanitarian budgets are fragmented, procurement is slow and customers need evidence that a new system improves safety rather than simply producing more data.

— Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026

Definition of humanitarian

Adjective

The expansion is possible because Hartford Hospital received a $250,000 grant through The Cigna Group Health Equity Impact Fund by The Cigna Group Foundation, which is the philanthropic arm of The Cigna Group go to the Food4Health program.

— Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 17 June 2026
Andre Dowell is founder and president of the National Philanthropic Foundation, advancing philanthropic legacy, next generation leadership, and civic understanding.

— Andre Dowell, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026

Definition of philanthropic

Adjective

Dorothea centers on a Sacramento woman (Davis) who ran a boarding house for the less fortunate in the 1980s, but her seemingly benevolent actions belied her sinister motives.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 7 July 2026
That would be intolerable in any other setting – not because every voter or marcher is admirable, but because constitutional rights are not based on a government employee’s benevolent opinion.

— George A. Mocsary, The Conversation, 7 July 2026

Definition of benevolent

Adjective

Anyone who tries to pass will have our self-sacrificing heroes in the IRGC Navy and Army set their ships on fire.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 3 Mar. 2026
There’s the self-sacrificing Texas teenager who’s helping her mom make ends meet by cashing out her own college fund.

— Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 25 Feb. 2023

Definition of self-sacrificing

Adjective

Organ and whole body donation are often understood as the ultimate selfless acts — a grieving family using their loss to improve someone else’s life, or further scientific research.

— Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 13 July 2026
Ḥusayn’s death became for the Shiʿah a symbol of selfless resistance against worldly injustice and tyranny and is commemorated with lamentation each year on Ashura.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 July 2026

Definition of selfless

Adjective

Like Congress passing campaign-finance regulation actually is like a pretty self-denying thing Congress has done.

— David Frum, The Atlantic, 3 June 2026
The tension between the self-denying demands of being a Kennedy wife and Carolyn’s assured self-determination sets the framework for this love story.

— Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Feb. 2026

Definition of self-denying

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“Self-flagellating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-flagellating. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of self-flagellating

adjective

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