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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Example Sentences
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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
-
Despite battlefield advances, Putin has reportedly agreed in principle to begin drafting a peace framework following a two-hour call with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has voiced frustration over Putin’s refusal to engage with Kyiv directly and recent large-scale Russian attacks.—
Katya Soldak,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
-
Her refusal to be anything other than fully, unapologetically herself.—
Skye P. Marshall,
IndieWire,
30 May 2025
Noun
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The key to making neutrality work for Ukraine is shaping it in a way that ensures that renunciation of NATO membership does not come at the expense of the country’s self-defense or its prospects for an economic and political future in the West.—
A. Wess Mitchell,
Foreign Affairs,
17 Mar. 2022
-
Saxon through acquisition; Piper through renunciation.—
January LaVoy Krish Seenivasan Ted Blaisdell,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
Noun
-
But the station’s website posted a story on Levine’s All-Star Game report that had no byline and no mention of the Cubs’ denial.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
25 May 2025
-
Delay is denial and a defense of partisan politics as usual.—
John Avlon,
New York Daily News,
23 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abnegation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abnegation. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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