mindmap root((放弃)) renunciation commonly connotes personal sacrifice for a higher end: widely admired for his voluntary ~ of power. abnegation, self-abnegation both imply a high degree of unselfishness or a capacity for putting aside personal interest or desires: undertook all her duties with an air of ~; modesty verging on ~. self-denial usually applies to an act or a practice and implies a forbearance from gratifying one's desires, whatever the motive: the ~ involved in following a rigid diet.