Standard Lemma guide

asceticism

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: /əˈsɛt.əˌsɪz.əm/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The principles and practices of an ascetic; extreme self-denial and austerity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

rigorous self-denial and active self-restraint

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ascesis

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: self-denial, self-discipline, self-control

3

noun

Meaning 3

the trait of great self-denial (especially refraining from worldly pleasures)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: austerity, nonindulgence

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: self-discipline, self-denial

Narrower terms: monasticism

4

noun

Meaning 4

the doctrine that through renunciation of worldly pleasures it is possible to achieve a high spiritual or intellectual state

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: doctrine, philosophy, philosophical system, school of thought, ism

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Ancient Greek ἀσκέω (askéō) Proto-Hellenic *-tās Ancient Greek -τής (-tḗs) Ancient Greek ἀσκητής (askētḗs) Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Hellenic *-kos Ancient Greek -κός (-kós) Ancient Greek -ικός (-ikós) Ancient Greek ἀσκητῐκός (askētĭkós)der. Medieval Latin asceticusbor. English ascetic Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English asceticism From ascetic + -ism.

Across languages

Translations

73 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: askese — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Albanian: asketizëm — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Arabic: زُهْد (zuhd) — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Armenian: ասկետիզմ (asketizm) — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Asturian: ascetismu — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Asturian: ascética — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Azerbaijani: askentizm — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Basque: aszetismo — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Belarusian: аскеты́зм (askjetýzm) — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Bulgarian: аскети́зъм (asketízǎm) — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Catalan: ascetisme — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Chinese Mandarin: 禁慾主義 /禁欲主义 (jìnyùzhǔyì) — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Chinese Mandarin: 苦行主義 /苦行主义 (kǔxíngzhǔyì) — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Czech: askeze — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Czech: asketismus — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Czech: asketizmus — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Danish: askese — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Dutch: ascetisme — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Esperanto: asketismo — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Finnish: asketismi — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Finnish: askeesi — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • French: ascétisme — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • French: ascèse — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Galician: ascetismo — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Galician: ascética — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Georgian: ასკეტიზმი (asḳeṭizmi) — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • German: Askese — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Hungarian: aszkézis — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Hungarian: aszketizmus — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Hungarian: önmegtagadás — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Hungarian: önsanyargatás — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Ido: asketismo — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Indonesian: asketisme — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Indonesian: kezuhudan — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Indonesian: mati raga — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Interlingua: ascetismo — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Italian: ascetismo — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Italian: ascesi — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Japanese: 禁欲主義 (kin'yokushugi) — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Kazakh: тақуалық (taqualyq) — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Korean: 금욕주의 (geumyokjuui) — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Kyrgyz: аскетизм (asketizm) — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Latvian: askētisms — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Latvian: askēze — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Lithuanian: asketizmas — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Lithuanian: askezė — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Luxembourgish: Askes — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Norwegian Bokmål: askese — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: askese — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Occitan: ascetisme — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Persian: ریاضتطلبی — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Polish: ascetyzm — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Polish: asceza — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Portuguese: ascetismo — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Portuguese: asceticismo — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Portuguese: ascética — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Romanian: asceză — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Russian: аскети́зм (asketízm) — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Serbo-Croatian: аскетизам — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Serbo-Croatian: asketizam — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Slovak: asketizmus — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Spanish: ascetismo — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Spanish: ascética — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Swedish: askes — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Tamil: துறவு (tuṟavu) — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Tamil: துறவறம் (tuṟavaṟam) — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Tatar: тәкъвачылык (täqwaçılıq) — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Thai: พรตนิยม — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Thai: สันโดษนิยม — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Turkish: asetizm — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Ukrainian: аскети́зм (asketýzm) — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Uzbek: usketizm — the principles and practices of an ascetic
  • Welsh: asgetigiaeth — the principles and practices of an ascetic