Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Training and control of oneself and one's conduct, usually for personal improvement.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun Correction or government of one's self for the sake of improvement.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun
Control of oneself,willpower .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the trait of practicing self discipline
- noun the act of denying yourself; controlling your impulses
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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The definition of self-discipline is the ability to regulate one’s conduct by principle and sound judgment, rather than by impulse, desire, or social custom.
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Abolitionists continued the movement of the Founding Fathers to replace external controls over the people with strict self-discipline.
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The problem with the discipline of the gallows, the lash, and the sword, according to these revolutionaries, was that it was far less effective than individual self-discipline in keeping social order.
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Disease, rape, beatings, murder, and riots were so common that reformers in the nineteenth century developed a new kind of correctional system that reflected the American ideal of self-discipline and was in many ways more severe than the original dungeons.
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They faced what the historian Daniel Horowitz calls “the dilemma materialism posed to the values of hard work, saving, and self-discipline.”
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These classes give students confidence, a record of achievement, and self-discipline that helps with academic work.
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These classes give students confidence, a record of achievement, and self-discipline that helps with academic work.
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I used to think that Barack Obama might match Washington and Lincoln in having the sort of self-discipline that keeps vanity in check.
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It asked him to rate the candidate on “interest in math,” “self-discipline” and “problem-solving skills.”
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They self-discipline because they made up the rules, he said.
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