How to Use ascetic in a Sentence

ascetic

adjective
Definition of asceticnext
Synonyms for asceticnext
  • His father is a pastor with an ascetic hatred of the body.
    — James Wood, The New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2019
  • There is an ascetic aspect to him that is very genuine.
    — Rachel Aviv, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2018
  • On the remote, swampy world of Dagobah, Luke is taught the ways of the Jedi by a goblin-like ascetic known as Yoda.
    — Alex Kane, USA TODAY, 12 Nov. 2019
  • Ichiro is sleek and lithe, his ascetic face framed by wraparound shades.
    — Alex Belth, Esquire, 2 Apr. 2017
  • But, this isn’t an ascetic boot camp — the resort is pure luxury.
    — Sandra Ramani, Robb Report, 7 May 2022
  • There was still an epicure lurking in her ascetic heart.
    — Ailsa Ross, Longreads, 9 Aug. 2019
  • Stanislavski saw his students as votaries in an ascetic cult.
    — New York Times, 3 Aug. 2022
  • They were hidden in jars in caves near Qumran, home to members of an ascetic Jewish sect called the Essenes.
    — Andrew Lawler, National Geographic, 2 June 2020
  • Around the sixth century, a group of ascetic monks withdrew from society to crags rising from the ocean.
    — National Geographic, 10 May 2019
  • To other people, his ascetic life might not have looked like freedom.
    — Claire Dederer, The Atlantic, 4 May 2021
  • The man himself, tall and ascetic, hair swept back from a high forehead, is a visitor from the 19th century.
    — The Economist, 16 Dec. 2017
  • An ascetic who rises early to exercise, Khama seems to care more for the facts than flattery.
    — Robyn Dixon, latimes.com, 1 Apr. 2018
  • In 1601 a religious ascetic named Ihor Manyaski retreated to this gorge and built a crude hut on the hillside.
    — Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 May 2022
  • Putting one on the sleek, black rectangle of your iPhone thus concocts a syrupy mélange of lithe modernism and ascetic medievalism.
    — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2019
  • Ms. Celmins, 78, keeps a clipping of the ascetic abstractionist Ad Reinhardt’s 12 rules for painting, one of which is to avoid form at all costs.
    — Randy Kennedy, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2017
  • An ascetic lifestyle was required to resist these forces.
    — Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Nov. 2023
  • Kanojia went on to tell the story of the aristocrat who became an ascetic, who taught that life is suffering.
    — Cecilia D'anastasio, Wired, 26 Aug. 2021
  • His ascetic life is an attempt to impose order on the painful messiness of his memories.
    — David Sims, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2021
  • Now after years of ascetic devotion, San Diego’s most quirky eco-warrior may be winning the battle for hearts and minds.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2021
  • But Carlos turned out to be something of an ascetic, and that guided his career in several ways.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 25 June 2023
  • As such, the public areas downstairs are decidedly ascetic, as were rural homes of the era.
    — Tom Delavan, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2020
  • Quirky and austere, air plants achieve ascetic transcendence.
    — Crispin Long, The New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2019
  • Saint enters that canon with its tale of monk Aiden Bell and his quest to determine which is a holier choice — his life as an ascetic monk or his love for Elijah Iverson?
    — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 10 Dec. 2021
  • And his behavior, in his last days, casts a shadow over his reputation as an ascetic.
    — Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic, 28 July 2014
  • Get our daily newsletter The shift away from this ascetic stance started shortly after the election.
    — The Economist, 27 July 2019
  • SHE IS a dietary ascetic, a consequence of stomach issues and acid reflux.
    — David Kamp, VanityFair.com, 19 May 2017
  • The monks’ ascetic practices include sleep deprivation and a thousand-day walk.
    — Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Mar. 2022
  • He was also known for living an ascetic lifestyle, often dressing in a loincloth and shawl only.
    — Nayeli Lomeli, USA TODAY, 31 Aug. 2021
  • There's no TV or radio in this ascetic retreat, and visitors will probably never see a phone or car.
    — Ken Jennings, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Apr. 2016
  • One of the greatest men of the 20th century was the political leader and ascetic Mahatma Gandhi.
    — Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ascetic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: