Definition of "monastic" []

• Of, relating to, or characteristic of a monastery. Used often of monks and nuns. (adjective)
• Resembling life in a monastery in style, structure, or manner, especially: (adjective)
• Secluded and contemplative. (adjective)
• Strictly disciplined or regimented. (adjective)
• Self-abnegating; austere. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "He was very demanding with himself and others in monastic observance, but rather than imposing discipline he sought to make people follow it by persuasion , the Pope explained."
• "Such occurrences mark time in monastic life and find their way into the vitae."
• "The nuns built and rebuilt their churches and monastic compounds as funds allowed, adding new dormitories as their membership increased or the fashion in monastic sleeping arrangements shifted from common rooms to individual cells."