abstinence

noun ab·sti·nence \ ˈab-stə-nən(t)s \

|Updated on: 12 Aug 2018

Examples: abstinence in a Sentence

Definition of abstinence

1 : the practice of abstaining from something : the practice of not doing or having something that is wanted or enjoyable

… ate with a haste and an apparent relish, that seemed to betoken long abstinence from food.
—Walter Scott

2 a : habitual abstaining from intoxicating beverages

b : abstention from sexual intercourse

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abstinent

play \-nənt\ adjective

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abstinently

adverb

See abstinence defined for English-language learners

See abstinence defined for kids

Examples of abstinence in a Sentence

The program promoted sexual abstinence for young people.
a cleric vainly preaching abstinence in a world where self-indulgence is regarded as almost a virtue

Recent Examples of abstinence from the Web

Cannon herself grew up in a Catholic family that preached abstinence or bust.

— eliza berman, Time, "Blockers Sets the Record Straight on Teenage Girls and Sex," 5 Apr. 2018
Researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center have learned that babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome are more likely to have torticollis, an abnormal neck condition.

— anne saker, Cincinnati.com, "How Cradle Cincinnati renews its war on Hamilton County’s infant mortality," 28 June 2018
After her appointment, Huber wrote an article decrying the lack of federal funding for abstinence education and questioned the effectiveness of teen pregnancy prevention grants.

— NBC News, "Planned Parenthood lawsuits challenge efforts to push abstinence-only on teens," 23 June 2018
In the first study to directly compare two of the most common treatment methods — methadone and morphine — researchers hope to establish a uniform strategy for treating neonatal abstinence syndrome, or NAS.

— alice park, Time, "Many Doctors Give Morphine to Babies Born With Opioid Addiction. A New Study Suggests There's a Better Way," 18 June 2018
But the study, published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics, further complicates the question of how to safely and effectively treat babies going through withdrawal, called neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS).

— marie mccullough, Philly.com, "Newborns in opioid withdrawal may do better on methadone than morphine, major study finds," 18 June 2018
In 2016, 1,257 babies in Kentucky were born with neonatal abstinence syndrome — symptoms associated with withdrawal from exposure to drugs — according to a Kentucky Department for Public Health report.

— allison ross, The Courier-Journal, "As drug epidemic sweeps Louisville, pregnant moms get help they need," 14 June 2018
In April, the Trump administration began pushing for abstinence education in its new guidelines for funding teen pregnancy prevention programs.

— melanie thibeault, BostonGlobe.com, "What I wish I had learned in middle-school sex ed," 11 June 2018
That follows the appointment of Valerie Huber, a longtime abstinence-education advocate, to a post in HHS.

— emily richmond, The Atlantic, "Does Trump’s Education Budget Even Matter?," 13 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'abstinence.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of abstinence

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin abstinentia, noun derivative of abstinent-, abstinens, present participle of abstinēre "to abstain"

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year