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
Your book is dealing with that too, this mortification of the flesh and Matrix-y refusal to engage with the body, denying the kids are going to find ways to make out in the bushes.
—Hazlitt, 3 Apr. 2024
The radical precision of Kant’s thought comes off as a product of the radical precision (or absurd rigidity) of his habits, which Collin nonetheless loads with pathos—as representing a quest for mental purity via the secular mortification of physicality.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024
Less than three years later, they had been subjected to a ritual mortification.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2023
Lewis doesn’t say who told him so, but the absurd conjecture appeared in a slavish profile written by a freelance author for Sequoia Capital, which invested in FTX; the profile has since been scrubbed from the firm’s website, presumably out of mortification.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2023
To Eminem’s eternal mortification, promise — and American hope — are what this film is really all about.
—Armond White, National Review, 11 Aug. 2023
The prior decade had been one of stage-shaking triumphs, personal nightmares, various degrees of mortification, and now, a chance at possible redemption.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2023
Why would my deep mortification over a trivial workplace incident persist for so long?
—Roxane Gay, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2023
A touch of surrealism helps express Alex’s mortification at her need for assistance, as well as the depression that swallows her up when she’s intimidated into giving up parts of her autonomy late in the season.
—Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2021
Hazlitt, 3 Apr. 2024
The radical precision of Kant’s thought comes off as a product of the radical precision (or absurd rigidity) of his habits, which Collin nonetheless loads with pathos—as representing a quest for mental purity via the secular mortification of physicality.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024
Less than three years later, they had been subjected to a ritual mortification.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2023
Lewis doesn’t say who told him so, but the absurd conjecture appeared in a slavish profile written by a freelance author for Sequoia Capital, which invested in FTX; the profile has since been scrubbed from the firm’s website, presumably out of mortification.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2023
To Eminem’s eternal mortification, promise — and American hope — are what this film is really all about.
—Armond White, National Review, 11 Aug. 2023
The prior decade had been one of stage-shaking triumphs, personal nightmares, various degrees of mortification, and now, a chance at possible redemption.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 14 June 2023
Why would my deep mortification over a trivial workplace incident persist for so long?
—Roxane Gay, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2023
A touch of surrealism helps express Alex’s mortification at her need for assistance, as well as the depression that swallows her up when she’s intimidated into giving up parts of her autonomy late in the season.
—Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mortification.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near mortification
Cite this Entry
“Mortification.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mortification. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
mortification
noun
mor·ti·fi·ca·tion
ˌmȯrt-ə-fə-ˈkā-shən
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