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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of temperance
With them in charge, Lily Dale flourished into a resort town, a summer destination, a thriving year-round community of the faithful, and a hub on activist lecture circuits dedicated to suffrage, temperance, abolition, and socialism.
—
Marissa C. Rhodes / Made By History, TIME, 8 Oct. 2024
The combination of good liquor and bad effects created a robust temperance movement by the 1840s—one that enlisted writers, such as Walt Whitman and Jack London, showmen such as P. T. Barnum, and women struggling to overcome societal subjugation such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
—Susan Cheever, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2016
But, according to temperance advocates, that paled in comparison to the danger posed by pregnant white women who drank.
—Elizabeth Marshall / Made By History, TIME, 23 Oct. 2024
Research reveals that the character dimension of temperance (being patient, calm, composed, self-controlled and prudent) is chronically underdeveloped, weakening the foundation of other character strengths like drive and accountability.
—Mary Crossan, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for temperance
Marissa C. Rhodes / Made By History, TIME, 8 Oct. 2024
The combination of good liquor and bad effects created a robust temperance movement by the 1840s—one that enlisted writers, such as Walt Whitman and Jack London, showmen such as P. T. Barnum, and women struggling to overcome societal subjugation such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
—Susan Cheever, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2016
But, according to temperance advocates, that paled in comparison to the danger posed by pregnant white women who drank.
—Elizabeth Marshall / Made By History, TIME, 23 Oct. 2024
Research reveals that the character dimension of temperance (being patient, calm, composed, self-controlled and prudent) is chronically underdeveloped, weakening the foundation of other character strengths like drive and accountability.
—Mary Crossan, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for temperance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for temperance
Noun
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The next day marked the beginning of abstinence from those items or the Lenten season.—
Saleen Martin,
USA TODAY,
3 Mar. 2025
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The 39-year-old actor has had his fair share of odd jobs, including catering deviled eggs, waffles, and other treats, and teaching abstinence to high schoolers.—
Kalia Richardson,
Rolling Stone,
25 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Elsbeth and Kaya can’t quite square this guy’s staunch defense of Hayley’s sobriety with the alarmingly aggressive behavior Angus witnessed Charles directing at Hayley shortly before her death.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2025
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Related Articles Purdue Pharma and owners to pay $7.4 billion in settlement to lawsuits over the toll of OxyContin Opinion: What’s the truth about sobriety?—
Ethan Varian,
The Mercury News,
6 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Her 37 wins in other disciplines would tie with Austrian great Marlies Schild not much further down the list.—
Zack Pierce,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
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Of her 100 wins, 63 have come from slalom events, while 37 have stemmed from non-slalom disciplines.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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That's reality for a country that, across Democratic and Republican administrations, has spent taxpayer money without restraint or care about debt.—
Axios,
Axios,
25 Feb. 2025
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This season was about restraint and impact — where luxury was deliberate, innovation measured, and the conversation between past and present more compelling than ever.—
Tianwei Zhang,
WWD,
25 Feb. 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 11 Mar. 2025.
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