as in refusal
the act or practice of giving up or rejecting something once enjoyed or desired
the couple's sudden abnegation of life in the fast lane for work as missionaries stunned everyone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abnegation
The life that Alharthi describes is one of almost saintly self-abnegation.
—
Ron Charles, Washington Post, 24 May 2022
His naïve insolence punctures the vanities of other filmmakers while offering no alternative, and the movie that results is a joyless, confused self-abnegation.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2022
That abnegation of critical judgment is the most important feature of the 1994 statement.
—Michael Bérubé, The New Republic, 21 Mar. 2022
Where to go in a world where every slight, every frown, every chagrin, every cloud and every rainy day is a cause for outrage, denunciation, shame, self-abnegation and maybe even a congressional investigation or two?
—WSJ, 14 June 2021
See All Example Sentences for abnegation
Ron Charles, Washington Post, 24 May 2022
His naïve insolence punctures the vanities of other filmmakers while offering no alternative, and the movie that results is a joyless, confused self-abnegation.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2022
That abnegation of critical judgment is the most important feature of the 1994 statement.
—Michael Bérubé, The New Republic, 21 Mar. 2022
Where to go in a world where every slight, every frown, every chagrin, every cloud and every rainy day is a cause for outrage, denunciation, shame, self-abnegation and maybe even a congressional investigation or two?
—WSJ, 14 June 2021
See All Example Sentences for abnegation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abnegation
Noun
-
Military refusal After Trump sanctioned Fincimex and cut the cash flow, the military refused to move the remittance business to a non-military entity.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
4 Mar. 2025
-
Many members of the Democrats' more establishment wing opposed the use of disruptive tactics and opted for silent forms of protest such as outfit coordination and refusal to clap.—
Andrew Solender,
Axios,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Enacted after the Civil War as a renunciation of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford, which held that Black people are not citizens of the U.S., the birthright citizenship clause has been relatively uncontested since 1868.—
Henry Gass,
The Christian Science Monitor,
30 Jan. 2025
-
So the practice of love turns on a renunciation of control.—
Sean Illing,
Vox,
9 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
This story was updated to reflect Citadel’s denial of having any interest in purchasing the townhouses from the receivership.—
Linda Robertson,
Miami Herald,
2 Mar. 2025
-
Thanks to the stunt world, today’s action genre has become an assertion of humanity, instead of a denial of it.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abnegation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abnegation. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share