ABSTAINED Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

abstained

verb

past tense of abstain

as in refused

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstained

Verb

The former special counsel also cited former Vice President Mike Pence, who refused to go along with a plan to overturn the results of the 2020 election by rejecting the electoral votes of battleground states that Biden won.

— Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
Botner testified that Flynn repeatedly refused to leave his wife to be with her, straining their relationship.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of refused

Verb

Final results from the Swiss government showed 70% of voters, and a majority in all 26 of the country's regions, rejected the plan.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026
Earlier this month, Cruz vociferously rejected the idea that artificial intelligence companies should be granted antitrust exemptions in order to collaborate on ways to implement industry-wide AI safety guardrails.

— Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of rejected

Verb

According to the Sunday Times, the Prince of Wales has turned down the requests, in part to avoid a new source of conflict with his brother, Prince Harry, who recently moved with his family back to the UK.

— Séraphine Roger, Vanity Fair, 27 Sep. 2026
Jennifer Garner turned down a role in Ben Affleck’s latest film.

— Hannah Malach, InStyle, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of turned down

Verb

Montgomery hesitated in front of Lee before cutting inside to leave Lee one-on-one with a defender streaking toward the end zone.

— PJ Green September 27, Kansas City Star, 27 Sep. 2026
The governor, however, has not hesitated to draw an unpopular president into the campaign.

— Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of hesitated

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abstain

abstained

abstained (from)

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“Abstained.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstained. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of abstained

verb

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