as in self-annihilation
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Recent Examples of self-flagellation
Ever since Kamala Harris lost the election, the Democratic Party has been on a nationwide self-flagellation tour.
—
Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2025
But if the director was already critical of his country beforehand, the place is in such a dire state right now that his only response this time seems to be a form of cinematic self-flagellation.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2025
Rublev, 27 and the men’s world No. 9, is prone to fits of self-flagellation — often hammering at his body with his racket.
—Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
The self-flagellation is uncomfortable and dark, and the instrumental’s whorl of warped voices, sax melodies, and bass lines intensifies the feeling that he is trapped within his choices.
17.
—Stephen Kearse, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2025
That leads to the kind of regret and self-flagellation in your letter, and the spiral begins anew.
—Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2025
Peasant sects promoted exotic beliefs and practices, including anti-materialism, self-flagellation, and self-castration.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2025
A little self-flagellation can be fun, but a Goofus-and-Gallant dynamic develops between Simone and Gigi that unbalances the drama.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2024
Some of the attendees catch on and quickly bolt, but there’s still a small group left when Walsh pulls out a box of whips and paddles so that people can engage in self-flagellation.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2025
But if the director was already critical of his country beforehand, the place is in such a dire state right now that his only response this time seems to be a form of cinematic self-flagellation.
—Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2025
Rublev, 27 and the men’s world No. 9, is prone to fits of self-flagellation — often hammering at his body with his racket.
—Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
The self-flagellation is uncomfortable and dark, and the instrumental’s whorl of warped voices, sax melodies, and bass lines intensifies the feeling that he is trapped within his choices.
17.
—Stephen Kearse, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2025
That leads to the kind of regret and self-flagellation in your letter, and the spiral begins anew.
—Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2025
Peasant sects promoted exotic beliefs and practices, including anti-materialism, self-flagellation, and self-castration.
—Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 7 Jan. 2025
A little self-flagellation can be fun, but a Goofus-and-Gallant dynamic develops between Simone and Gigi that unbalances the drama.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2024
Some of the attendees catch on and quickly bolt, but there’s still a small group left when Walsh pulls out a box of whips and paddles so that people can engage in self-flagellation.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-flagellation
Noun
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And he is compelled by a righteous fury to warn others of his son’s dark path to self-annihilation.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
22 June 2025
-
This, at his best, is Crews’s subject: the relationship between art and self-annihilation—and whether the price of becoming the boy in the picture is too high to be paid by the one stumbling through the dark.—
Charlie Lee,
Harpers Magazine,
18 June 2025
Noun
-
Snyder’s origin story introduces Kal-el and Krypton’s most fascist generals (led by Michael Shannon’s explosive General Zod) as the only survivors of their advanced world’s self-immolation.—
Rory Doherty,
Vulture,
11 July 2025
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But also, there’s a hunger for leadership in opposition to this administration, and the Democrats are losing an opportunity to be those leaders with their endless self-immolation.—
Anita Chabria,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2025
Noun
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But those same traits, like hedonism or a desire to dominate, can sometimes push them away from traits associated with goodness, like humility or altruism.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
15 July 2025
-
Back in the day, the USDA helped pay for screwworm eradication down to Panama out of not pure altruism but economic pragmatism: Establishing a 100-mile screwworm barrier there is cheaper than creating one at the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border.—
Sarah Zhang,
The Atlantic,
27 May 2025
Noun
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Emotionally mature people don’t use kindness, agreeableness or self-sacrifice as tools of manipulation, whether consciously or unconsciously.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
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Oscar Peterson was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his WWII service in the U.S. Navy, having died of his wounds during a battle after an act of self-sacrifice that saved other lives.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 June 2025
Noun
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How naive of me to expect that those in the public eye would at least pretend to possess tact, diplomacy, magnanimity and graciousness rather than bark and growl like an angry pit bull on a thick clanking chain.—
Louis Balsamo,
Baltimore Sun,
25 June 2025
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His magnanimity may have been intended to compensate for his earlier razing of Rotterdam and to preclude his prosecution for ordering the extermination of thousands of Russian Jews.—
Sam Roberts,
Foreign Affairs,
2 June 2015
Noun
-
The best advice networks are built on two key ingredients: generosity and trust.—
Lewis Schiff,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
-
Fuentes Espinal works in construction to support his family and has spent the last 15 years as a volunteer pastor at Iglesia del Nazareno Jesus Te Ama, also known as the Church of the Nazarene Jesus Loves You, where he is known for his sermons and generosity.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-flagellation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-flagellation. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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