mortification
noun
mor·ti·fi·ca·tion
ˌmȯr-tə-fə-ˈkā-shən 
1
a
: a sense of humiliation and shame caused by something that wounds one's pride or self-respect
the mortification of being jilted by a little boarding-school girl—
Washington Irving
Washington Irving
b
: the cause of such humiliation or shame
3
: the subjection and denial of bodily passions and appetites by abstinence or self-inflicted pain or discomfort
was customary to practice mortification during Lent
Synonyms
Examples of mortification in a Sentence
the mortification of being dumped the night before the prom
Recent Examples on the Web
The most delightful of all mortifications is the idea that life, as Carl Jung said, really does begin at 40.
—Mitch Wallace, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
That’s when my cheeks started to burn; mortification saturated my body.
—Ariela Gittlen, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Soundscapes of the Silenced In late Renaissance Florence one in five women lived behind institutional walls whose rule was sensory mortification.
—Erin Maglaque, The New York Review of Books, 15 Nov. 2024
Sylvie saves everyone from further mortification by picking up the check.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mortification 
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Mitch Wallace, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
That’s when my cheeks started to burn; mortification saturated my body.
—Ariela Gittlen, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
Soundscapes of the Silenced In late Renaissance Florence one in five women lived behind institutional walls whose rule was sensory mortification.
—Erin Maglaque, The New York Review of Books, 15 Nov. 2024
Sylvie saves everyone from further mortification by picking up the check.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mortification
Dictionary Entries Near mortification
Cite this Entry
“Mortification.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mortification. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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mortification
noun
mor·ti·fi·ca·tion
ˌmȯrt-ə-fə-ˈkā-shən
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