teetotaler

noun

tee·​to·​tal·​er ˈtē-ˈtō-tᵊl-ər 

-ˌtō-

variants or teetotaller

: one who practices or advocates teetotalism

Did you know?

A person who abstains from alcohol might choose tea as his or her alternative beverage, but the word teetotaler has nothing to do with tea. More likely, the "tee" that begins the word teetotal is a reduplication of the letter "t" that begins total, emphasizing that one has pledged total abstinence. In the early 1800s, tee-total and tee-totally were used to intensify total and totally, much the way we now might say, "I'm tired with a capital T." "I am now … wholly, solely, and teetotally absorbed in Wayne's business," wrote the folklorist Parson Weems in an 1807 letter. Teetotal and teetotaler first appeared with their current meanings in 1834, eight years after the formation of the American Temperance Society.

Synonyms

• abstainer
• nondrinker
• teetotalist

Examples of teetotaler in a Sentence

in a quandary about what to serve for the wedding toast since his future in-laws are teetotalers

Recent Examples on the Web

And what the film doesn’t spotlight is that Robert was hardly a teetotaler himself. —Vulture, 25 July 2023

Alcohol is available in bars and clubs in the United Arab Emirates, the federation of seven sheikhdoms that includes Dubai, but the Muslim country has a large population of teetotalers. —Nick El Hajj, BostonGlobe.com, 15 July 2023

Yours truly, a veritable teetotaler, didn’t make it through the opening martini. —Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 5 June 2023

People who abstain completely from alcohol are a minority, and those who aren’t teetotalers for religious reasons are more likely to have chronic health problems, to have a disability or to be from lower income backgrounds. —Roni Caryn Rabin, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2023

Minerals: The Irish aren’t as gasping for booze as the stereotype has it: Ireland’s not even in the global top 10 for frequency of alcohol-drinking and there is a sizable population of teetotalers. —Maureen O'Hare, CNN, 17 Mar. 2023

People who abstain completely from alcohol are a minority, and those who aren’t teetotalers for religious reasons are more likely to have chronic health problems, to have a disability, or to be from lower-income backgrounds. —Roni Caryn Rabin, BostonGlobe.com, 4 Apr. 2023

For her part, Robinson has gone without a drink for more than two years and experienced her best training and fastest marathon after three months as a teetotaler (coincidence or not). —Erin Strout, Women's Health, 22 Mar. 2023

And 45 is a teetotaler. —Zach Everson, Forbes, 19 Oct. 2021

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Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above

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