variants
also ascetical
as in monastic
formal
relating to or having a strict and simple way of living that avoids physical pleasure
He committed to having an ascetic existence during his rehab. an ascetic diet of rice and beans
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Dissimilar Words
as in prude
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of ascetic
Adam Kirsch, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025
While Mathu is an ascetic loner, Malby was a hedonistic womanizer.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2025
By the 18th century, the 13 major ascetic akharas, or sects of Hindu priests, played a central role in Kumbh Mela rituals.
—Aakash Hassan, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Jan. 2025
From afar, there’s certainly something of the guru or the ascetic about Martin, something highly therapized and slightly otherworldly.
—Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 19 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ascetic
Noun
This is especially clear in the contrast between Marcus Luria and his father, the ascetic sage Zalia Ziskind.
—Adam Kirsch, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025
While Mathu is an ascetic loner, Malby was a hedonistic womanizer.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2025
By the 18th century, the 13 major ascetic akharas, or sects of Hindu priests, played a central role in Kumbh Mela rituals.
—Aakash Hassan, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Jan. 2025
From afar, there’s certainly something of the guru or the ascetic about Martin, something highly therapized and slightly otherworldly.
—Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, 19 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for ascetic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ascetic
Adjective
-
The menu positions itself as monastic simplicity, a reference to the monasteries in the hills above the town.—
Paul Caputo,
Forbes.com,
4 July 2025
-
The wide-ranging punishments for such sinful behavior could include a prohibition on wearing gold and other precious jewelry, as well as large tithes to monastic orders and the poor.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
Give the Original ‘Twister’ a Spin Barbara Peeters is no prude.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
19 July 2024
-
Despite a handful of prudes trying their best to spoil the fun.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
4 July 2024
Adjective
-
Whether Trump's death quelled or accelerated authoritarian forces remains an open question.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 July 2025
-
All of these factors and their contribution to alienation can foster authoritarian beliefs and individualism.—
Nathan Meyers,
The Conversation,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
There’s often some kind of hitch, but still, most agents are straight arrows who play by the book.—
LEW SICHELMAN,
Miami Herald,
5 Feb. 2025
-
Purdy was such a straight arrow as a kid, his worst transgressions were playing doorbell ditch, Patchett said.—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
The Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2024
Adjective
-
Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the more exacting standard raises questions about whether Tennessee’s law would survive.—
Zach Schonfeld,
The Hill,
18 June 2025
-
All told, the specifics of memory and storage drive home that the Mac mini is far more suitable to mainstream users, while the Mac Studio is for a more exacting, professional market that needs those expensive, lofty levels of RAM and storage.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
In an interview with BBC Radio 1 posted Tuesday (July 8), the pop star shared how her creative abilities were previously stifled by an unrelenting eating disorder — something she’s been open about overcoming throughout the Virgin rollout process.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
8 July 2025
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Destructive flooding triggered by unrelenting rain that rapidly overwhelmed the Guadalupe River has killed at least 81 people across central Texas.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
8 July 2025
Adjective
-
President Donald Trump has been adamant his tariffs will bring factory jobs back to American shores.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
27 June 2025
-
Among the holdouts are members of the SALT Caucus, who have been adamant that any deal from the Senate that does not match the one that passed the House is dead on arrival.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
27 June 2025
Adjective
-
Obama has retreated into monkish silence, broken only for special occasions such as celebrity deaths and the recording of Bruce Springsteen podcasts.—
Isaac Chotiner,
The New Yorker,
17 July 2024
-
Cillian Murphy is not sitting at home in monkish penury.—
Vulture,
Vulture,
3 Feb. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Ascetic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ascetic. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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