as in dry
a person who abstains from alcoholic beverages
for religious reasons she's been a total abstainer her entire life
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Recent Examples of abstainer
Heavier drinkers had higher mortality than lighter drinkers, but the study excluded lifelong abstainers — many of whom stop drinking because of illness or medication use.
—
Robert M. Kaplan, STAT, 1 Jan. 2026
Robert M. Kaplan, STAT, 1 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstainer
Noun
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Americans are drinking less than ever—and a growing share are teetotalers.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
13 Jan. 2026
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In recent years, bars across the city have started offering mocktails and non-alcoholic beer and wine so teetotalers aren't limited to soda water and lime.—
Data Reporter,
Austin American Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Those studies, however, focused on older people and didn’t differentiate between former drinkers and lifelong nondrinkers, thus potentially skewing the results, study authors said.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
23 Sep. 2025
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The risk of ischemic heart disease was lower than that of nondrinkers at all six drinking levels.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
17 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abstainer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstainer. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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