ascetic
[ uh-set-ik ]
/ əˈsɛt ɪk /
noun
a person who dedicates his or her life to a pursuit of contemplative ideals and practices extreme self-denial or self-mortification for religious reasons.
a person who leads an austerely simple life, especially one who abstains from the normal pleasures of life or denies himself or herself material satisfaction.
(in the early Christian church) a monk; hermit.
adjective Also as·cet·i·cal.
relating to asceticism, the doctrine that one can reach a high spiritual state through the practice of extreme self-denial or self-mortification.
rigorously abstinent; austere: an ascetic existence.
exceedingly strict or severe in religious exercises or self-mortification.
Origin of ascetic
SYNONYMS FOR ascetic
OTHER WORDS FROM ascetic
Words nearby ascetic
ascensiontide,
ascensive,
ascent,
ascertain,
ascesis,
ascetic,
asceticism,
asch,
aschaffenburg,
ascham,
aschelminth
Example sentences from the Web for ascetic
British Dictionary definitions for ascetic
ascetic
/ (əˈsɛtɪk) /
noun
a person who practises great self-denial and austerities and abstains from worldly comforts and pleasures, esp for religious reasons
(in the early Christian Church) a monk
adjective Also: as'cetical
rigidly abstinent or abstemious; austere
of or relating to ascetics or asceticism
intensely rigorous in religious austerities
Derived forms of ascetic
ascetically, adverbWord Origin for ascetic
C17: from Greek
askētikos, from
askētēs, from
askein to exercise