flagellant
noun
fla·gel·lant
ˈfla-jə-lənt 
flə-ˈje-lənt
flə-ˈje-lənt
1
: a person who scourges himself or herself as a public penance
2
: a person who responds sexually to being beaten by or to beating another person
flagellant
adjective
Examples of flagellant in a Sentence
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The angel instructed the faithful at Jerusalem to go on a flagellant procession for thirty-three and a half days.
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Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
The field guide to millenarianism remains Norman Cohn’s Pursuit of the Millennium, that magical mystery tour of Ranters, flagellants, Free Spirits, messiahs, lesser messiahs, autocratic messiahs, disappointed messiahs, and anarcho-communists.
—Michael Robbins, Harper's Magazine, 9 Nov. 2022
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Michael Robbins, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
The field guide to millenarianism remains Norman Cohn’s Pursuit of the Millennium, that magical mystery tour of Ranters, flagellants, Free Spirits, messiahs, lesser messiahs, autocratic messiahs, disappointed messiahs, and anarcho-communists.
—Michael Robbins, Harper's Magazine, 9 Nov. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Flagellant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flagellant. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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flagellant
noun
fla·gel·lant
ˈflaj-ə-lənt
flə-ˈjel-ənt
flə-ˈjel-ənt
: a person who responds sexually to being beaten by or to beating another flagellant person
flagellant
adjective
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