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
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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
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The White House has also banned The Associated Press from the press pool over its refusal to call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, a move the wire service has sued the administration over.—
Dominick Mastrangelo,
The Hill,
31 Mar. 2025
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Xcel ultimately gave Denver the first chance to buy the property, known as a right of first refusal.—
Thomas Gounley,
Denver Post,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Erdoğan may need Kurdish support to run again Some analysts have said public suggestions by Erdoğan's political allies that Ocalan, the 75-year-old PKK leader, could be released in return for a renunciation of violence, form part of an effort to woo Kurdish voters.—
Willem Marx,
NPR,
1 Mar. 2025
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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
Noun
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The emotional impact of losing a job often mirrors the stages of grief, as outlined by Kubler-Ross: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.—
Jack Kelly,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
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Isaac recorded his second denial moments later on AJ Johnson’s drive to the hoop and then another steal off Vukcevic.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abnegation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abnegation. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.
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