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
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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
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Recent Examples of self-denial
But the biblical term for self-denial – inui – has another meaning.
—
Rabbi Avi Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 7 Oct. 2024
The Ford Focus Electric, with its appealing, Euro-hatchback lines, lacks the frumpy feel of self-denial often associated with electric cars.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 Mar. 2012
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
Crace transports readers 2,000 years into the past to a stark Biblical landscape full of visceral encounters, violence, self-denial, and possible miracles.
—Mia Barzilay Freund, Vogue, 29 Mar. 2024
The last week of January in particular would be an excellent time to decamp somewhere pretty, travel for pleasure, or do some spiritual seeking (but maybe the kind that comes with laughter and good food, and not strict rules and self-denial).
—Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Dec. 2023
Shocking self-indulgence sits cheek by jowl with self-denial.
—Tobi Haslett, Harper's Magazine, 18 Sep. 2023
That an ancient philosophy based on self-denial could find an audience among TikTokers, subredditors, and gladiatorial millionaires suggested two possibilities: Stoicism either had quite a lot going for it, or nothing at all.
—Tom Bissell, Harper’s Magazine , 10 Apr. 2023
Rabbi Avi Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 7 Oct. 2024
The Ford Focus Electric, with its appealing, Euro-hatchback lines, lacks the frumpy feel of self-denial often associated with electric cars.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 Mar. 2012
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
Crace transports readers 2,000 years into the past to a stark Biblical landscape full of visceral encounters, violence, self-denial, and possible miracles.
—Mia Barzilay Freund, Vogue, 29 Mar. 2024
The last week of January in particular would be an excellent time to decamp somewhere pretty, travel for pleasure, or do some spiritual seeking (but maybe the kind that comes with laughter and good food, and not strict rules and self-denial).
—Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Dec. 2023
Shocking self-indulgence sits cheek by jowl with self-denial.
—Tobi Haslett, Harper's Magazine, 18 Sep. 2023
That an ancient philosophy based on self-denial could find an audience among TikTokers, subredditors, and gladiatorial millionaires suggested two possibilities: Stoicism either had quite a lot going for it, or nothing at all.
—Tom Bissell, Harper’s Magazine , 10 Apr. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-denial
Noun
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Martinez’s refusal to take out the loan led in part to his pending ouster, as the current seven-member board moved to fire him without cause in late December.Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2025
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On January 6, 2021, a group of violent rioters, stoked by Donald Trump’s refusal to accept his recent defeat, stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election, delaying the ceremonial Electoral College vote count.Savannah Kuchar, USA TODAY, 5 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But, according to temperance advocates, that paled in comparison to the danger posed by pregnant white women who drank.Elizabeth Marshall / Made by History, TIME, 23 Oct. 2024
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Research reveals that the character dimension of temperance (being patient, calm, composed, self-controlled and prudent) is chronically underdeveloped, weakening the foundation of other character strengths like drive and accountability.Mary Crossan, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
Noun
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What To Know About Chris Wright Chris Wright, CEO of Liberty Energy and Donald Trump's nominee for energy secretary, has faced criticism for his outspoken denial of the climate crisis and for Liberty Energy's involvement in a racial bias lawsuit, which was settled with federal authorities in 2024.John Mac Ghlionn, Newsweek, 13 Jan. 2025
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But, as Hurston must have understood on some level, there was little chance that Hollywood would touch her book, because the key move in her revision of Biblical history was the denial of the divinity of Jesus.Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
Noun
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So the practice of love turns on a renunciation of control.Sean Illing, Vox, 9 Dec. 2024
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Syria The large question hanging over our Syria policy is whether the rebel group chiefly responsible for toppling the Assad regime, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or Organization for the Liberation of the Levant, is sincere in its renunciation of terrorism and Taliban-style Islamism.Bret Stephens, The Mercury News, 12 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The feats, the ecstasies, the prostrations and abnegations.James Parker, The Atlantic, 10 Jan. 2025
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The explicit and quasi-religious abnegation of the right to violent self-defense put the national committee at odds with one of its key allies during the Saturday march: Black Lives Matter.Samantha Eyler, Foreign Affairs, 31 Jan. 2017
Thesaurus Entries Near self-denial
Cite this Entry
“Self-denial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-denial. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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