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self-mortification

self-mortification

9.9
A practice of hurting yourself on purpose to show discipline or say sorry, often for religious reasons
  • noun
  • /ˈsɛlfˌmɔrtɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/
  • NSFW
translation icon : automortificación
  • As a form of self-mortification, what I'm up to can seem both high-minded and foolish.

Examples

  • Many monastic communities practice self-mortification to develop self-discipline and strengthen their faith.

  • Times of prayer and self-mortification are not essential for the practice.

    Blog text (29)
  • Through the years, according to tradition, individual Fox men had, by fasting and other self-mortification, caused supernatural forces to "pity" them and thereby give them special gifts or "blessings," each of which established some slightly new relationship with some part of the natural order....

    Academic text (1995)
  • And being thin and weak from spiritual fasting and self-mortification for your carbon sins, you are unable to crawl out and peer feebly at the real world through red, blinking, tear-filled eyes.

    Blog text (1)
  • The ritual of self-mortification can vary widely between different religions, but it often involves fasting or other forms of denial.

  • In some cultures, self-mortification is viewed as a path to spiritual awakening and is practiced during specific religious ceremonies.

Synonyms

penance
vsself-mortification
27 7.4

A feeling of deep regret and an action to show you are sorry

is mainly about deliberate bodily pain used to atone rather than just regret
self-flagellation
vsself-mortification
2 9.9

To punish yourself by hitting your body with a whip, often for religious reasons

is broader, covering any deliberate bodily pain for discipline or atonement
mortification
vsself-mortification
  • Formal
2 9.9

Giving up comfort and causing pain for religious reasons

focuses on deliberate bodily discomfort as religious discipline rather than any punishment
self-punishment
vsself-mortification
1 7.5

Making yourself suffer because you feel guilty

often targets bodily discomfort for discipline or religious atonement specifically
self-abasement
vsself-mortification
1 9.3

Act of making yourself feel ashamed to show you are sorry

focuses more on physical pain or discomfort for discipline rather than humiliation
self-torture
vsself-mortification
1 7.4

Causing yourself pain by thinking a lot about bad things

is about deliberate physical pain used for discipline rather than mental suffering
self-torment
vsself-mortification
8.6

To make yourself feel sad or guilty on purpose by replaying past events

involves bodily pain and physical discomfort rather than only mental anguish

Antonyms

Giving yourself too much pleasure or comfort

How Severe

self-mortification
  • NSFW
9.9
self-denial
4 5.7

Surface Forms

Morphology

self-mortification = mortification (transparent) = self + mortification

The meaning is a straightforward combination of 'self-' (oneself) + 'mortification' (the practice of subduing bodily desires or causing suffering), so the compound literally denotes inflicting suffering on oneself.

Etymology

Self-mortification breaks into self- meaning 'your own' and the root mort meaning 'death', which you can see in the familiar word immortal. A helpful way to remember it is that it originally meant 'to make dead', so self-mortification is about trying to 'kill' or control parts of yourself by causing pain or denying comforts, often for religious reasons or to show regret.