Mortification

//ˌmoɹtɪfɪˈkeɪʃən// noun

noun ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The act of mortifying. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    (Christianity) the act of mortifying the lusts of the flesh by self-denial and privation (especially by bodily pain or discomfort inflicted on yourself) wordnet
  3. 3
    A sensation of extreme shame or embarrassment. countable, uncountable

    "Near-synonym: humiliation"

  4. 4
    an instance in which you are caused to lose your prestige or self-respect wordnet
  5. 5
    The death of part of the body. countable, uncountable

    "And then there's the fever and the mortification—if it took bad ways he'd quickly be gone."

Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    strong feelings of embarrassment wordnet
  2. 7
    A bringing under of the passions and appetites by a severe or strict manner of living. countable, uncountable
  3. 8
    the localized death of living cells (as from infection or the interruption of blood supply) wordnet
  4. 9
    A bequest to a charitable institution. countable, historical, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms
chagrinhumiliationhumiliationnecrosisshameabasement

Example

More examples

"It is a great mortification to the vanity of man, that his utmost art and industry can never equal the meanest of nature's productions, either for beauty or value."

Etymology

From Middle English mortificacioun, mortification, from Middle French mortification and its etymon Latin mortificātiō. By surface analysis, mortify + -ication.

Related phrases

mortification root

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.