ascetic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He was neither financially stable nor ascetic enough to commit to the artist’s lot without the remarkable self-sacrifice of his wife, Annalee.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

Disillusioned by the impermanence of life, Siddhartha engaged in six years of ascetic practice and attained enlightenment at the age of 35 in Bodh Gaya in northeast India.

From Seattle Times • May 11, 2024

In early Christianity, spiritual warfare meant one was to resist the Devil by engaging in forms of ascetic behavior, mastering fleshly desires, and cultivating Christian virtues like humility, self-control, and love of enemies.

From Salon • Jan. 31, 2024

While their practice may seem unthinkably extreme, sokushinbutsu exist as part of a larger religious framework that includes other ascetic acts requiring physical exertion and endurance.

From National Geographic • Jan. 19, 2024

And the ascetic stood until his shoulders and legs no longer froze, till they were silent, till they were still.

From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse