Meanings
- uncountableThe act of punishing oneself.
How could he appease the wrath of Him who died on the cross, save by years of bitter supplication and self-punishment?
1853, Charles Kingsley, chapter 24, in Hypatia1 more example
[…] O Jealousie (said she) the phrensie of wise folkes, the well-wishing spite, the unkinde carefulnesse, the selfe-punishment for others faults, and selfe-miserie in others happinesse, the cousin of envie, daughter of love, & mother of hate, how couldest thou so quietly get thee a seate in the unquiet hart of Gynecia, […]
1590, Philip Sidney, The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia, Cambridge University Press, published 1912, Book 2, Chapter 25, p. 308
Cite this entry
self-punishment. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-punishment
“self-punishment.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-punishment. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “self-punishment,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-punishment.
Source: self-punishment on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.