as in self-annihilation
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Recent Examples of self-flagellation
In 1994 Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was also a cleric with the rank of ayatollah, issued a fatwa forbidding the practice of self-flagellation.
—
Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 May 2026
Grace's departure is handled carefully in John of John, even buried under the gross tonnage of John Mcleod's flaws and relentless self-flagellation.
—Paula Cooper, CBS News, 5 May 2026
Both the criticism and self-flagellation imply that the act of claiming another person’s words can render these words deceitful, even if the words have been paid for and the content is true.
—Emily Hodgson Anderson, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
Huerta shouldn’t have to engage in this rite of self-flagellation, of course, but she and Chavez are linked by their legacies as two of the greatest civil rights fighters in our history.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
The struggle and self-flagellation devoted to the doomed attempt to stop wasting time is likely merely another way to waste your time.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
The same could be said for Howe’s lacerating self-flagellation afterwards.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2026
At the same time, invisibility has come as a relief, insofar as my vanity always kept company with self-consciousness and self-flagellation.
—Lucinda Rosenfeld, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
The technique was initially practiced alone, but in 1260 a hermit in Perugia launched a movement, and organized processions of mass self-flagellation broke out across Italy.
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 May 2026
Grace's departure is handled carefully in John of John, even buried under the gross tonnage of John Mcleod's flaws and relentless self-flagellation.
—Paula Cooper, CBS News, 5 May 2026
Both the criticism and self-flagellation imply that the act of claiming another person’s words can render these words deceitful, even if the words have been paid for and the content is true.
—Emily Hodgson Anderson, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2026
Huerta shouldn’t have to engage in this rite of self-flagellation, of course, but she and Chavez are linked by their legacies as two of the greatest civil rights fighters in our history.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
The struggle and self-flagellation devoted to the doomed attempt to stop wasting time is likely merely another way to waste your time.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
The same could be said for Howe’s lacerating self-flagellation afterwards.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2026
At the same time, invisibility has come as a relief, insofar as my vanity always kept company with self-consciousness and self-flagellation.
—Lucinda Rosenfeld, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2025
The technique was initially practiced alone, but in 1260 a hermit in Perugia launched a movement, and organized processions of mass self-flagellation broke out across Italy.
—Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-flagellation
Noun
-
The will toward self-annihilation is a familiar human characteristic.—
Henry Freedland,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Her self-annihilation is grisly and impossible to misinterpret as a final repudiation of her role in the HMS Courageous bombing and, until Grace announces she’d like Hal to be her vice-president, is the most intense and far-reaching twist of the episode.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Gonzales admitted to having an affair with a former staffer who died by self-immolation.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Ratansen dies defending his honor; Padmavati and the women of Chitor perform jauhar (the ancient Rajput practice of self-immolation to avoid capture).—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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This is a book of profound intellectual altruism and moral urgency that insists on summoning courage despite (or because of) societal and political cleavage.—
Anna Holmes,
The Atlantic,
27 May 2026
-
Musk did push for structures that would have given him control, and Altman and Brockman became extraordinarily wealthy from an organization built around the language of altruism.—
Anisha Sircar,
Forbes.com,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Working for an agency like the Operant Bureau—or the CIA or MI6—means a level of self-sacrifice, organizing for the whole-cloth good of humanity (or a particular intelligence-gathering body).—
Alex James Kane,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
-
Tradwives have resurrected the female submission part of the blueprint, but not the male self-sacrifice part.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 May 2026
Noun
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But Beijing’s magnanimity isn’t going to transform the continent’s economy.—
Alexis Akwagyiram,
semafor.com,
1 May 2026
-
His magnanimity did not last long.—
Ana Ceballos
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
So, investing in the well-being of women leaders isn't an act of generosity.—
Nakisha Dixon,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
This isn’t out of generosity or a desire to protect the game’s well-being.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-flagellation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-flagellation. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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