self-flagellation
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At what point does continuing to stare down the abyss of this reality start to become self-flagellation?
From Slate • Mar. 6, 2025
Lorca, like many Filipino Catholic devotees, performs religious penance in the belief that the practice of self-flagellation can cleanse sins, cure illness and even grant wishes.
From Reuters • Apr. 6, 2023
Lanard said the single most important messaging task for Walensky is to acknowledge, “in a confident tone, with no self-flagellation, that many people have told her that her communications have been confusing and unclear.”
From Washington Post • Jan. 7, 2022
There may be hard manual labor and a little self-flagellation, but sardonic laughter sometimes erupts within these walls, as do wittily barbed negotiations over money.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 3, 2021
But hey, slipping the note into the widows mailbox had always been more about self-flagellation than brotherly love.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
