ascetic

adjective as·cet·ic \ə-ˈse-tik, a-\

: relating to or having a strict and simple way of living that avoids physical pleasure

Full Definition of ASCETIC

: practicing strict self-denial as a measure of personal and especially spiritual discipline

: austere in appearance, manner, or attitude

— ascetic noun

— as·cet·i·cal·ly \-ti-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

— as·cet·i·cism \-ˈse-tə-ˌsi-zəm\ noun

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Variants of ASCETIC

as·cet·ic also as·cet·i·cal \ə-ˈse-ti-kəl\

Examples of ASCETIC

Patterson's collection begins on the walls of the stairway to his basement. “That's where Cindy draws the line. That's probably a real good idea,” he says. Mattsson, ascetic for a bachelor, imposes the same rule on himself. LeBeau, who has never been married, is much less restrained. —Tom Harpole, Air & Space, December 1999/January 2000
By Hollywood standards, Calley's career path may seem enigmatic, but then, so is his personality. If Mark Canton, the previous Sony president, was the boastful, Armani-clad big spender, Calley is downright ascetic, a man who disdains Hollywood profligacy. —Peter Bart, GQ, August 1997
He converted to Catholicism and, after a long period of intense self-questioning, became a Trappist monk at the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky, which, at the time, was as ascetic and demanding as any monastery of the Middle Ages. —Julius Lester, Falling Pieces of the Broken Sky, 1990
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Origin of ASCETIC

Greek askētikos, literally, laborious, from askētēs one that exercises, hermit, from askein to work, exercise

First Known Use: 1646

Synonym Discussion of ASCETIC

severe, stern, austere, ascetic mean given to or marked by strict discipline and firm restraint. severe implies standards enforced without indulgence or laxity and may suggest harshness <severe military discipline>. stern stresses inflexibility and inexorability of temper or character <stern arbiters of public morality>. austere stresses absence of warmth, color, or feeling and may apply to rigorous restraint, simplicity, or self-denial <living an austere life in the country>. ascetic implies abstention from pleasure and comfort or self-indulgence as spiritual discipline <the ascetic life of the monks>.