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

In the criminal complaint, the officer alleges Bowman pulled his hands away and refused commands to put them behind his back.

— Shelley Bortz, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez offered his resignation, which Macron refused.

— Ariella Noveck, FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of refused

Verb

Wilson, the attorney general, also rejected the conclusion that EdChoice harms public education.

— Bilin Lin, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
Trump’s claims have been rejected by the courts and even since his return to the White House in 2025 no evidence of widespread fraud has been surfaced.

— Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of rejected

Verb

Evidence in that case showed that Asian applicants with very high test scores were often turned down.

— Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
According to a 2026 survey funded by a high school trades group and conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, 1 in 6 students reported trying to enroll in trades courses but being turned down due to a lack of space.

— P.R. Lockhart, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of turned down

Verb

While its lawyers have not hesitated to send cease-and-desist letters to AI companies, Disney is among the big media companies looking for ways to get in the AI game and profit from its boom.

— Dade Hayes, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Teammates excitedly jumped off the bench, then hesitated when Thiero’s right knee appeared to buckle awkwardly under him.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 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 23 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of abstained

verb

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