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
-
Taste of Tibet Everyone is welcome to try authentic Tibetan meals in a true, monastic atmosphere.—
Caroline Ritzie,
The Enquirer,
9 July 2025
-
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
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
-
North Korea is under sanctions from the United States — as well as the United Nations and several other countries — largely in response to the isolated authoritarian state's weapons programs.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
25 July 2025
-
While Western democracies debate environmental reviews and grid reliability, authoritarian systems can rapidly direct energy flows to computing infrastructure.—
Güney Yıldız,
Forbes.com,
25 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
-
Thunderstorms could bring hail downpours from southern Nebraska to Canada, with wind gusts possibly reaching 85 miles per hour. Bouts of severe weather coupled with unrelenting heat threaten to provide Americans with a tumultuous and possibly deadly weather week, forecasters say.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
20 July 2025
-
The decade between his humiliation of 1945 and his departure as prime minister was marked by cataclysmic change and unrelenting Cold War danger.—
Robert Schmuhl,
Chicago Tribune,
20 July 2025
Adjective
-
But Galkin is adamant that because their focus was always the victims, Kohberger’s plea deal only changed one thing.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
11 July 2025
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The call came on what was the hottest day of the year in the U.K., but staff were adamant Moo needed picking up, much to Ford's mild annoyance.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 July 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 29 Jul. 2025.
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