austerities
Harsh self-denying practices
Austerities is the plural of austerity, referring to acts of severe self-discipline or abstinence, particularly in religious or spiritual contexts: The monks practiced austerities including fasting and silence.
The word often appears in descriptions of ascetic traditions where physical deprivation is believed to lead to spiritual growth.
In economic contexts, austerities refers to government measures that cut public spending and services: The country endured years of austerities following the financial crisis.
Intensity of sternness
- rigorStrict, thorough precision
- hardshipSuffering from difficult circumstances
- sternnessUncompromising strictness of manner
- strictnessInflexibility in enforcement
bleakness · grimness · deprivation · privation · spartan · unforgiving · grueling · punishing
Cloistered religious devotee
- hermitPerson choosing total seclusion
- renunciationFormal surrender of claim
- abstinenceVoluntary forgoing of indulgences
- celibacyAbstaining from intimate relations
fasting · monasticism · meditation · contemplation · piety · nun · yogi · vow
Aesthetic of reduction
- plainnessUnadorned, straightforward quality
- barenessLack of covering
- spartanRigorously simple, unadorned
- unadornedLacking decoration or ornament
starkness · monastic · unembellished · functional · clean lines · restraint · understatement · no-frills
Careful use of resources
- parsimonyExcessive frugality with resources
- scrimpingExcessive thrift, stingy saving
- budgetingAllocating funds systematically
- economizingReducing expenditures deliberately
sparing · penny-pinching · tightfisted · meager · skimping · husbandry · provident · abstemious
Reductions in spending
- budget cutsPlanned spending reductions
- recessionProlonged economic decline
- deficitAmount still owed
- belt-tighteningReducing expenditures deliberately
downturn · restructuring · fiscal · savings · contraction · retrenchment · spending cuts · bailout
severity
Intensity of sternness
- rigorStrict, thorough precision
- hardshipSuffering from difficult circumstances
- sternnessUncompromising strictness of manner
strictness · bleakness · grimness · deprivation · privation · spartan · unforgiving · grueling · punishing · demanding
monk
Cloistered religious devotee
- hermitPerson choosing total seclusion
- renunciationFormal surrender of claim
- abstinenceVoluntary forgoing of indulgences
celibacy · fasting · monasticism · meditation · contemplation · piety · nun · yogi · vow · chastity
minimalism
Aesthetic of reduction
- plainnessUnadorned, straightforward quality
- barenessLack of covering
- spartanRigorously simple, unadorned
unadorned · starkness · monastic · unembellished · functional · clean lines · restraint · understatement · no-frills · stripped-down
thrift
Careful use of resources
- parsimonyExcessive frugality with resources
- scrimpingExcessive thrift, stingy saving
- budgetingAllocating funds systematically
economizing · sparing · penny-pinching · tightfisted · meager · skimping · husbandry · provident · abstemious · bare-bones
cutbacks
Reductions in spending
- budget cutsPlanned spending reductions
- recessionProlonged economic decline
- deficitAmount still owed
belt-tightening · downturn · restructuring · fiscal · savings · contraction · retrenchment · spending cuts · bailout · IMF
- Jain practicespuja, ahimsa, diksha, tapas, dana
- asceticismabstinence, celibacy, ascetic, chastity, mortification
- Hindu asceticssadhu, swami, ascetic, renouncer, yogi
- yoga practicesasana, pranayama, samadhi, hatha yoga, karma yoga
- Ajivikafatalism, determinism
austeritiesluxuries
Non-essential costly pleasures
indulgences · extravagances · opulence · excesses · lavishness
austeritiesindulgences
Excessive self-granted pleasures
self-gratification · hedonism · sybaritism · worldly pleasures · licentiousness
austeritiesstimulus spending
Government outlays boosting demand
government spending · deficit spending · quantitative easing · bailouts · economic stimulus