Standard Lemma guide

monasticism

noun · 2 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.

  • CMU ARPABET: M AH0 N AE1 S T AH0 S IH2 Z AH0 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The practice of renouncing all worldly pursuits in order to fully devote one's life to spiritual work.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: lifestyle, religion

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

asceticism as a form of religious life; usually conducted in a community under a common rule and characterized by celibacy and poverty and obedience

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: austerity, asceticism, nonindulgence

Narrower terms: eremitism

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English monastic 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 monasticism From monastic (“relating to monks”) + -ism.

Across languages

Translations

17 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: монашество (monašestvo) — religious practice
  • Catalan: monaquisme — religious practice
  • Chinese Mandarin: 修道主義 /修道主义 (xiūdàozhǔyì) — religious practice
  • Czech: mnišství — religious practice
  • Esperanto: monaĥismo — religious practice
  • German: Monastizismus — religious practice
  • German: Mönchtum — religious practice
  • Greek: μοναχισμός (monachismós) — religious practice
  • Irish: manachas — religious practice
  • Italian: monachesimo — religious practice
  • Korean: 수도주의 (sudojuui) — religious practice
  • Macedonian: монаштво (monaštvo) — religious practice
  • Polish: monastycyzm — religious practice
  • Portuguese: monasticismo — religious practice
  • Swahili: umonaki — religious practice
  • Tamil: துறவறம் (tuṟavaṟam) — religious practice
  • Welsh: mynachaeth — religious practice