Definition

1. Noun:
   • The act of punishing oneself by whipping or beating: This refers specifically to the practice of inflicting physical punishment on one's own body, often with a whip or similar instrument.
   • Severe criticism of or harsh treatment towards oneself: In a figurative sense, it describes the act of mentally berating or being excessively critical of oneself.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Literal): Some religious ascetics practiced self-flagellation as a form of penance. The historical records describe rituals involving self-flagellation.

• Noun (Figurative): His constant self-flagellation over the mistake was preventing him from moving forward. Engaging in such intense self-flagellation is not a healthy way to cope with failure.

Advanced Usage

• "a cycle of self-flagellation": A repeated pattern of harsh self-criticism. After every project, she fell into a cycle of self-flagellation, focusing only on what went wrong.

• "ritual self-flagellation": Often used to describe the literal act when it is part of a formal religious or cultural ceremony. The pilgrimage involved ritual self-flagellation.

Variants and Related Words

• Flagellate (verb): To whip or scourge.
• Flagellant (noun): A person who subjects themselves to whipping, especially for religious discipline.

Synonyms

• Self-punishment: Punishment inflicted on oneself.
• Self-castigation: Severe criticism of oneself.
• Self-reproach: The act of blaming or criticizing oneself.

Related Phrases

• "to engage in self-flagellation": To participate in the act, either literal or figurative.

Related Idioms

• "Beating oneself up": A common idiom similar to the figurative meaning of self-flagellation.

Noun

1. self-punishment inflicted by whipping