1
as in temperance
voluntary restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites
a cleric vainly preaching abstinence in a world where self-indulgence is regarded as almost a virtue
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in purity
abstention from sexual intercourse
an AIDS-prevention program that relies primarily on abstinence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abstinence
On Ash Wednesday, Catholics around the world attend Mass, receive ashes on their foreheads as a sign of repentance, and observe fasting and abstinence as prescribed by Church law.
—
Russel Honoré, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
If your health, your sense of yourself, and your general feeling-tone are improved by abstinence, more power to you.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2025
In the United States, the dominant view on how to manage addiction has traditionally been that abstinence is the best solution.
—Moises Velasquez-Manoff Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Zak Mouton, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
This assumption persists, despite numerous studies’ showing that medication can reduce the risk of overdose far more than abstinence alone — and that in some cases abstinence may even increase the risk of overdose later.
—Moises Velasquez-Manoff Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Zak Mouton, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstinence
Russel Honoré, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
If your health, your sense of yourself, and your general feeling-tone are improved by abstinence, more power to you.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 25 Feb. 2025
In the United States, the dominant view on how to manage addiction has traditionally been that abstinence is the best solution.
—Moises Velasquez-Manoff Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Zak Mouton, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
This assumption persists, despite numerous studies’ showing that medication can reduce the risk of overdose far more than abstinence alone — and that in some cases abstinence may even increase the risk of overdose later.
—Moises Velasquez-Manoff Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Zak Mouton, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstinence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstinence
Noun
-
By the 1820s and 1830s, temperance groups sprang up all across Arkansas and the General Assembly passed several laws and regulations to curb its sale.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 May 2025
-
This memoir is a record of a life spent prioritizing adventure over prudence, indulgence over temperance.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2025
Noun
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Iran currently enriches uranium to 60% purity, close to weapons-grade levels, making the negotiations urgent.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
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Right now, Iran is enriching uranium to up to 60% purity, well beyond the confines of the 2015 nuclear deal that President Donald Trump withdrew from in 2018.—
Trey Yingst,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2025
Noun
-
After witnessing that, Gregory made the decision to join the priesthood and took a vow of celibacy.—
Michael Pollan,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
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Ouellet defended priestly celibacy for the Latin Rite church and upheld the ban on women’s ordination but called for women to have a greater role in church governance.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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He’s taken vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and lived in a community with other priests.—
Erika Page,
Christian Science Monitor,
8 May 2025
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The dismissal came after a more than year long dispute between the nuns and the diocese that began when Olson investigated a report that the nuns’ leader, the Rev. Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach, broke her chastity vows with a priest from outside the diocese.—
Elizabeth Campbell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Blume’s story follows a teenager named Katherine who falls in love with a boy named Michael and loses her virginity to him.—
Meagan Jordan,
Rolling Stone,
16 May 2025
-
In 1975, Judy Blume released Forever, a YA novel about a young woman falling in love for the first time and losing her virginity.—
Shannon Carlin,
Time,
8 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abstinence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstinence. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
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