ABSTAINING Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

abstaining

verb

present participle of abstain

as in refusing

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstaining

Verb

The news comes amid ongoing tensions as the war in Iran persists, with Trump refusing a deal with Iran to open the Strait as recently as Saturday, impacting the world's oil supply.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
In September 1644, Suffolk housewife Thomasine Stott was arrested for refusing to go to her state church.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of refusing

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
Throughout this same time, Rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse also continued to wear the Air Force 1 High sneakers while playing in the NBA — rejecting modern technology in favor for in-game footwear that was already two decades old.

— Olivia Cigliano, Footwear News, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of rejecting

Verb

The woman accused of keeping him captive, 58-year-old Kimberly Sullivan, is expected to head to trial after turning down two plea deals during a hearing in Waterbury Superior Court earlier this month.

— Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
But for a sport the size of fencing, turning down attention is an unaffordable luxury.

— Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of turning down

Verb

But experts have worried that doctors are hesitating to offer treatment without an ironclad diagnosis, which clinicians say can take time and increase risks to the mother.

— Andrea Suozzo, ProPublica, 9 Sep. 2026
Fertilizer is often bought months ahead of planting, so hesitating in the fall can mean less goes on the ground in the spring.

— Jayash Paudel, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of hesitating

Verb

The fight, Haro said, is about more than extending a lease or delaying an eviction.

— Laura Rodríguez Presa, Chicago Tribune, 26 Sep. 2026
Shrinking resources and the accompanying uncertainty is delaying medical research and threatening progress towards finding cures, the team behind Proposition 38 said.

— Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of delaying

Verb

Local officials and school leaders have linked the shortage of family housing to declining enrollment in the Davis Joint Unified School District, which is weighing school closures.

— Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 1 Oct. 2026
And the Civilian Oversight Commission filed suit against the department in June for declining to provide certain records related to three cases of use of force the commission issued subpoenas for in February 2025.

— Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of declining

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“Abstaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstaining. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of abstaining

verb

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