How to Use ascetic in a Sentence

ascetic

adjective
  • Stanislavski saw his students as votaries in an ascetic cult.
    — New York Times, 3 Aug. 2022
  • Ichiro is sleek and lithe, his ascetic face framed by wraparound shades.
    — Alex Belth, Esquire, 2 Apr. 2017
  • To other people, his ascetic life might not have looked like freedom.
    — Claire Dederer, The Atlantic, 4 May 2021
  • But, this isn’t an ascetic boot camp — the resort is pure luxury.
    — Sandra Ramani, Robb Report, 7 May 2022
  • Grothendieck was intense and ascetic from his early days.
    — Konstantin Kakaes, Quanta Magazine, 20 May 2026
  • Later in life Foucault will become more ascetic, but not yet.
    — Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
  • How can a kindly, God-fearing, and ascetic novice monk compete against that?
    — Karl Ove Knausgaard, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Quirky and austere, air plants achieve ascetic transcendence.
    — Crispin Long, The New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2019
  • His ascetic life is an attempt to impose order on the painful messiness of his memories.
    — David Sims, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2021
  • And his behavior, in his last days, casts a shadow over his reputation as an ascetic.
    — Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic, 28 July 2014
  • Around the sixth century, a group of ascetic monks withdrew from society to crags rising from the ocean.
    — National Geographic, 10 May 2019
  • An ascetic who rises early to exercise, Khama seems to care more for the facts than flattery.
    — Robyn Dixon, latimes.com, 1 Apr. 2018
  • Unlike his ascetic approach, she's found ways to suck the marrow from life and is the only one able to emphasize his own hypocrisy.
    — EW.com, 10 Nov. 2023
  • During their walk, the monks observed a strict ascetic code inspired by ancient traditions.
    — Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 10 Feb. 2026
  • While this year’s weather was milder, the tone set by Sequoia was similarly ascetic.
    — Michal Lev-Ram, Fortune, 25 July 2024
  • Kanojia went on to tell the story of the aristocrat who became an ascetic, who taught that life is suffering.
    — Cecilia D'anastasio, Wired, 26 Aug. 2021
  • Putin enjoys high living, while Xi’s personal style seems to border on ascetic.
    — Joseph Torigian, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2024
  • He was also known for living an ascetic lifestyle, often dressing in a loincloth and shawl only.
    — Nayeli Lomeli, USA TODAY, 31 Aug. 2021
  • But Carlos turned out to be something of an ascetic, and that guided his career in several ways.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 25 June 2023
  • As such, the public areas downstairs are decidedly ascetic, as were rural homes of the era.
    — Tom Delavan, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2020
  • In fact, the ascetic value of fasting from meat required that the person otherwise enjoy it.
    — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 4 Aug. 2025
  • The monks’ ascetic practices include sleep deprivation and a thousand-day walk.
    — Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Mar. 2022
  • Putting one on the sleek, black rectangle of your iPhone thus concocts a syrupy mélange of lithe modernism and ascetic medievalism.
    — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2019
  • The man himself, tall and ascetic, hair swept back from a high forehead, is a visitor from the 19th century.
    — The Economist, 16 Dec. 2017
  • They were hidden in jars in caves near Qumran, home to members of an ascetic Jewish sect called the Essenes.
    — Andrew Lawler, National Geographic, 2 June 2020
  • Now after years of ascetic devotion, San Diego’s most quirky eco-warrior may be winning the battle for hearts and minds.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2021
  • But there are certain periods of life where saving is much harder, and the temptation is to live an ascetic lifestyle, scrimp, and deny yourself all joys.
    — NPR, 25 Nov. 2025
  • During pilgrimages, monks observe a strict ascetic code, often including sleeping under trees and eating one meal per day.
    — Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Despite its ascetic appearance, the short scribe was one of the most powerful demonstrations of Black love in journalism.
    — Essence, 4 Dec. 2023
  • Here's what's going on with the ascetic, monk-style travel trend (with an unfortunate name) taking TikTok by storm.
    — Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 July 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ascetic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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