1
as in temperateness
an avoidance of extremes in one's actions, beliefs, or habits
my father attributes his ripe old age to temperance in all things, especially eating and drinking
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in abstinence
voluntary restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites
practices a blue-blooded temperance that his parvenu neighbors will never understand
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of temperance
Asked about how Kia will respond to tariffs from the Trump administration, the CEO projected temperance.
—
Kristin Shaw, Ars Technica, 27 Feb. 2025
For instance, courage can lead to recklessness without temperance or result in cowardice when deficient.
—Mary Crossan, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Today’s temperance is focused on the transformation of self.
—Shayla Love, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2025
The local temperance group was thought to be behind it, but nothing could be proven.
—Terry Shaw, Twin Cities, 17 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for temperance
Kristin Shaw, Ars Technica, 27 Feb. 2025
For instance, courage can lead to recklessness without temperance or result in cowardice when deficient.
—Mary Crossan, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Today’s temperance is focused on the transformation of self.
—Shayla Love, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2025
The local temperance group was thought to be behind it, but nothing could be proven.
—Terry Shaw, Twin Cities, 17 Apr. 2024
See All Example Sentences for temperance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for temperance
Noun
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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
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Here's what to know about Dry January, the alcohol abstinence challenge Non-alcoholic beer and low alcohol on the rise As sales of alcoholic beverages have plateaued, sales of non-alcoholic beer, drinks and spirits have intensified, up 27% in 2024.—
Mike Snider,
USA TODAY,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Miranda allegedly failed field sobriety testing and was taken into custody before being transported to Troop H in Hartford.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2025
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Somebody who is abusing other drugs or has really struggled with sobriety, with serious addiction.—
Ben Tinker,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Poland, ministries dictated curricula, Marxism-Leninism became mandatory across disciplines, and admissions were reengineered to favor students from loyalist backgrounds.—
Iveta Silova,
The Conversation,
9 Apr. 2025
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Ritchey sees the fantastic as the foil to the Germanic Bildungsroman, which influenced continental Romantic arts across disciplines.—
Angelica Frey,
JSTOR Daily,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The chance that American attacks on Houthis could prompt attacks on Saudi Arabia and a renewal of the kingdom’s brutal war in Yemen was a chief concern of the Biden administration, a prime reason that White House operated with a degree of restraint in its strikes on Houthi targets.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
26 Mar. 2025
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Sullivan, 56, was charged with first-degree unlawful restraint, cruelty to persons and first-degree reckless endangerment.—
Livi Stanford,
Hartford Courant,
25 Mar. 2025
Noun
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This includes the five major types: stress incontinence, urge incontinence, mixed incontinence, overflow incontinence, and functional continence.—
Jamin Brahmbhatt,
Verywell Health,
29 July 2024
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Good posture helps maintain continence, support pelvic organs, and reduce back pain.—
Staci Tanouye,
Parents,
29 Aug. 2023
Noun
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But the biblical term for self-denial – inui – has another meaning.—
Rabbi Avi Weiss,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Oct. 2024
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The Ford Focus Electric, with its appealing, Euro-hatchback lines, lacks the frumpy feel of self-denial often associated with electric cars.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
28 Mar. 2012
Noun
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The audience responds gratefully to this level of self-abnegation, and the frankly chilling sounds that come out of her.—
Helen Shaw,
The New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2024
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His self-abnegation proved successful: Trump endorsed him, and Vance won the primary and then the general election.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
The New Yorker,
15 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Temperance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/temperance. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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