1
as in sacrifice
voluntary restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites
They moved off the grid to live a life of austerity.
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in gruffness
the quality or state of being stern and serious in manner or appearance
His air of austerity tends to put others off.
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in misery
the state of lacking sufficient money or material possessions
His family spent years living in austerity during the recession.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of austerity
With more tariffs, executive orders and austerity measures on the horizon for 2025 and beyond, taking steps like these is a must to manage the new and escalating risks wholesale distributors face.
—
Werner Baumbach, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025
The cuts follow months of austerity measures, including a hiring freeze and travel restrictions, which saved $3.7 million.
—Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN Money, 11 Apr. 2025
Democrats have capitalized on that, wasting no time casting Musk as the unfathomably wealthy face of government austerity and corporate overreach.
—Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
While there are conflicting messages among Republican lawmakers as well as the Trump administration, Medicaid appears to be the biggest likely target of budget austerity measures.
—Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for austerity
Werner Baumbach, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025
The cuts follow months of austerity measures, including a hiring freeze and travel restrictions, which saved $3.7 million.
—Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN Money, 11 Apr. 2025
Democrats have capitalized on that, wasting no time casting Musk as the unfathomably wealthy face of government austerity and corporate overreach.
—Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
While there are conflicting messages among Republican lawmakers as well as the Trump administration, Medicaid appears to be the biggest likely target of budget austerity measures.
—Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for austerity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for austerity
Noun
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The thread that connects each of these characters' stories is the choice between sacrifice and preservation.—
DeVonne Goode,
Parents,
21 Apr. 2025
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Bobby Nash was written in sacrifice and he was built for this.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Kennedy described addiction as both a source of misery and a symptom of deeper pain, drawing from his own experience of trying to fill an emotional void with drugs.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
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Now, though, The Last of Us is as blinded as Ellie is by misery.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Finch was unimpressed with his team’s offensive game plan discipline in the face of a desperate defense.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
24 Apr. 2025
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Harvard must investigate and carry out meaningful discipline for all violations that occurred during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 academic years, including the Harvard Business School protest of October 2023, the University Hall sit-in of November 2023, and the spring encampment of 2024.—
Kayla Jimenez,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Upon his election, Bergoglio took the name Francis after Saint Francis of Assisi, who was known for his asceticism and ministry to the poor.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
23 Apr. 2025
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The bout of asceticism didn’t deter her from finishing a quarter of the album, however.—
Arimeta Diop,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Studies show that sleep deprivation leads to brain stress, cloudy thinking and decision fatigue, plus fragmented sleep signals a vulnerability to social stress.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
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Reasons for chronically low energy can be related to lifestyle factors, such as poor diet, stress, or sleep deprivation.—
Cathy Nelson,
Verywell Health,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The holding was manifestly correct, but the dicta may be equally important in counseling greater restraint on both sides.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Apr. 2025
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After three consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final from 2020-22, the combination of age and salary-cap restraints had diminished the Tampa Bay roster.—
John Romano,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
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First, because our common narrative framework depends on the past, many people still consider warming through a speculative lens, failing to recognize the severity, and urgency, of superstorms and sea-level rise.—
Heather Hansman,
The Atlantic,
22 Apr. 2025
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Common cold symptoms: Vitamin C can help reduce the duration of the common cold and reduce the severity of its symptoms.—
Sara Hoffman, PharmD,
Verywell Health,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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About The Daily Money Each weekday, The Daily Money delivers the best consumer and financial news from USA TODAY, breaking down complex events, providing the TLDR version, and explaining how everything from Fed rate changes to bankruptcies impacts you.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
21 Apr. 2025
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If yes, please explain: No, I have not Have you been involved in a civil lawsuit or bankruptcy proceeding?—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
20 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Austerity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/austerity. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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