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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of self-denial
At the beginning of her relationship with John, Carolyn’s central problem was that being part of the Kennedy family demanded some level of self-denial.
—
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
On Ash Wednesday, many Christians go to church for a service that emphasizes the start of a season of reflection, self-denial and repentance from sin.
—ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026
Old family patterns or inner-child wounds could surface, not to derail you, but to remind you that leadership doesn’t mean emotional self-denial.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 21 Dec. 2025
Saint Anthony was an Egyptian monk whose relics were brought to France during the Crusades in the Middle Ages, after inspiring many people to take up seclusion and self-denial.
—Alex Ledsom, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Crace transports readers two thousand years into the past to a stark Biblical landscape full of visceral encounters, violence, self-denial, and possible miracles.
—Mia Barzilay Freund, Vogue, 7 July 2025
But the biblical term for self-denial – inui – has another meaning.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 7 Oct. 2024
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
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
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
On Ash Wednesday, many Christians go to church for a service that emphasizes the start of a season of reflection, self-denial and repentance from sin.
—ABC News, 16 Feb. 2026
Old family patterns or inner-child wounds could surface, not to derail you, but to remind you that leadership doesn’t mean emotional self-denial.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 21 Dec. 2025
Saint Anthony was an Egyptian monk whose relics were brought to France during the Crusades in the Middle Ages, after inspiring many people to take up seclusion and self-denial.
—Alex Ledsom, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Crace transports readers two thousand years into the past to a stark Biblical landscape full of visceral encounters, violence, self-denial, and possible miracles.
—Mia Barzilay Freund, Vogue, 7 July 2025
But the biblical term for self-denial – inui – has another meaning.
—Rabbi Avi Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 7 Oct. 2024
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-denial
Noun
-
The golf pro was arrested and charged with a DUI, property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test by the local sheriff's department.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The 82-time PGA Tour winner is charged with driving under the influence with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test — both misdemeanors.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The temperance, abolition, and civil-rights movements in America were all motivated in part by religious convictions.—
Luis Parrales,
The Atlantic,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Then, strong reform and radical movements to abolish slavery and to advocate for world peace, temperance, and women’s suffrage flourished.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
One of his most popular early clips featured a Holocaust-denial riff about how many cookies could fit in an oven.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Recently, despite their consistent and ridiculous denials, it was found that Iran had built numerous missiles capable of reaching all over Europe.—
Bobby Zirkin,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The department said the new $450 fee remains well below the government’s actual cost of processing renunciation requests.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
14 Mar. 2026
-
British psychiatrist Humphry Osmond, who took part in a peyote ceremony with a First Nations group the Red Pheasant Band in Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1956, intuited the necessity of community, empathy, and ego renunciation during the psychedelic process.—
Erica Rex,
STAT,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Not one for false abnegation of words distorted by smears, Rushdie doubles down on his right to freedom of expression, defending his dissent from religious orthodoxy.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Jan. 2026
-
That, for me, feels like an abnegation of our responsibility in theater.—
Sarah Crompton,
Vogue,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-denial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-denial. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
