adjective
- of, relating to, or involving the practice of whipping or flogging, especially as a form of self-punishment or religious discipline
Usage: formal; often historical or religious context
Examples
- Medieval flagellatory practices were sometimes used as acts of penance.
- The monk engaged in flagellatory self-discipline as part of his spiritual devotion.
- Historical accounts describe flagellatory movements that emerged during times of plague.
- Some religious orders incorporated flagellatory rituals into their monastic traditions.
- The flagellatory sect practiced extreme forms of bodily mortification.