as in ascetic
given to or marked by restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites
grew up in a family where abstinent behavior was expected and self-indulgence of any kind was scorned and castigated
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Recent Examples of abstinent
Ivan Neville has been on a few times and always talks being abstinent.
—
Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
As a purist, Murray defines sobriety as being completely abstinent from habit-forming substances that could cause dependency, including prescription drugs like Xanax and Suboxone.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 23 Sep. 2025
Shirley Halperin, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
As a purist, Murray defines sobriety as being completely abstinent from habit-forming substances that could cause dependency, including prescription drugs like Xanax and Suboxone.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstinent
Adjective
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In fact, the ascetic value of fasting from meat required that the person otherwise enjoy it.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
4 Aug. 2025
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Greens embodied the ascetic lushness of the farm-to-table movement, which, in Northern California, was synonymous with the Berkeley restaurant Chez Panisse.—
John Birdsall,
New Yorker,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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Some have evolved exceedingly specific diets—diets that would put even the most abstemious human to shame.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
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The solution offered up by some: the sort of abstemious, low-fat, often vegetarian, diets that had been prescribed as lust-control regimens only decades earlier.—
Rachel Hope Cleves / Made by History,
TIME,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Lower carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere then cooled the Earth, turning a hothouse planet into one with a more temperate climate, like the one enjoyed by life today.—
Chris Impey,
The Conversation,
23 Sep. 2025
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In an era of increasingly extreme weather, the disease is thriving in areas once considered cool and temperate.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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And to watch Charlie now sober and having this moment.—
Brie Stimson , Larry Fink,
FOXNews.com,
27 Sep. 2025
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Although Gasca has reconciled with her mom, who is about 20 years sober and shares her story with church groups, her early life was roiled by turmoil.—
Greg Mellen,
Oc Register,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Her razor-sharp songwriting, which is quippy like Kacey Musgraves and relatable like Taylor Swift, documents Zoee's cross-continent move, a handful of heartbreaks, and reflections on femininity.—
Audrey Gibbs,
Nashville Tennessean,
17 Sep. 2025
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Outside the States, Starlink has also won the business of a growing flock of airlines, including plans for fleetwide deployments on the multi-continent carriers Air France, SAS, and Qatar Airways.—
Rob Pegoraro,
PC Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abstinent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstinent. Accessed 3 Oct. 2025.
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