Word
abnegate
Phoneticsab·ne·gate
UK/ˈæbnɪɡˌeɪt/
Definition
v. to refuse to allow yourself to have something you want.
v. to deny oneself a pleasure or a convenience, often for moral or religious reasons.
Examples
“He decided to abnegate his own comfort to help the family.”
“The monk chose to abnegate his former life of luxury in order to live a life of strict discipline.”
“By abnegating her own ambitions, she allowed her younger colleagues to rise through the ranks, eventually leading to a more diverse and innovative leadership team.”
Examples
simple
“He decided to abnegate his own comfort to help the family.”
contextual
“The monk chose to abnegate his former life of luxury in order to live a life of strict discipline.”
complex
“By abnegating her own ambitions, she allowed her younger colleagues to rise through the ranks, eventually leading to a more diverse and innovative leadership team.”
Usage
Often used with a reflexive pronoun (to abnegate oneself) or with a direct object representing the pleasure being denied.
Teaching tip
This sense is closely related to 'self-abnegation'. It is rarely heard in casual conversation.
Etymology
First attested in 1657. * Perhaps from Latin abnegō (“to refuse, reject”) from ab (“away from”) + negō (“to deny”), * Alternatively, perhaps a back-formation from abnegation.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/abnegate