self-denying
Foregoing personal pleasure
Self-denying describes someone who sacrifices their own interests, desires, or pleasures for others or for a principle.
The term suggests voluntary restraint—putting duty or others' needs ahead of personal comfort: a self-denying act of charity, She was self-denying to a fault, never allowing herself any indulgence.
The word carries overtones of virtue, though sometimes implies excessive or unhealthy self-sacrifice.
Severely simple and unadorned
- spartanRigorously simple, unadorned
- monasticOf religious community life
- hermitPerson choosing total seclusion
- frugalSparing with resources
recluse · anchorite · stoic · penitent · mortification · celibacy · eremitic · nun
Habitual moderation in behavior
- sobrietyUnimpaired mental state
- restraintControl over impulses
- abstinenceVoluntary forgoing of indulgences
- fastingDeliberate food avoidance
teetotal · chaste · celibate · willpower · continence · moderation · refraining · sober
Prioritizing others' wellbeing
- sacrificeGiving up something precious
- martyrdomSuffering for conviction
- unselfishnessConcern for others' welfare
- devotionDeep, loyal commitment
renunciation · magnanimity · nobility · service · giving · compassion · heroism · benevolence
Lacking in pretension
- unpretentiousLacking false superiority
- unassumingNot making claims
- meekHumbly unassertive
- lowlyModest in status
understated · unostentatious · unobtrusive · plain · simple · down-to-earth · retiring · reserved
austere
Severely simple and unadorned
- spartanRigorously simple, unadorned
- monasticOf religious community life
- hermitPerson choosing total seclusion
frugal · recluse · anchorite · stoic · penitent · mortification · celibacy · eremitic · nun · monk
temperance
Habitual moderation in behavior
- sobrietyUnimpaired mental state
- restraintControl over impulses
- abstinenceVoluntary forgoing of indulgences
fasting · teetotal · chaste · celibate · willpower · continence · moderation · refraining · sober · clean-living
altruism
Prioritizing others' wellbeing
- sacrificeGiving up something precious
- martyrdomSuffering for conviction
- unselfishnessConcern for others' welfare
devotion · renunciation · magnanimity · nobility · service · giving · compassion · heroism · benevolence · charity
modest
Lacking in pretension
- unpretentiousLacking false superiority
- unassumingNot making claims
- meekHumbly unassertive
lowly · understated · unostentatious · unobtrusive · plain · simple · down-to-earth · retiring · reserved · subdued
self-denyingself-indulgent
Yielding to one's desires
indulgent · hedonistic · sybaritic · voluptuous · sensual
self-denyingselfish
Concerned only with oneself
self-absorbed · narcissistic · self-centered · egotistical · self-serving
self, deny, denial, selfless, selflessness, denying, selfhood, self-denial, self-sacrificing