ab-nih-GAY-shun

Definition

(noun) The act of renouncing or rejecting something; self-denial or the setting aside of one’s own needs and desires.

Example

Her years of abnegation — skipping vacations, forgoing promotions, putting everyone else first — had gone largely unnoticed by the family she’d sacrificed everything for.

Word Origin

From Latin abnegatio, derived from abnegare, meaning “to refuse or deny” — formed from ab- (away from) + negare (to deny). The root negare also gives us negate, negative, and renege — all carrying the core sense of refusal or denial. The word entered English in the 16th century, used primarily in religious contexts to describe the denial of worldly pleasures in service of spiritual devotion.