ABSTAINING Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

abstaining

verb

present participle of abstain

as in refusing

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstaining

Verb

For the first time since at least 1974, new homes are selling for less than existing ones, and the culprit is a mix of builders getting generous and sellers refusing to budge.

— Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 15 July 2026
Lestat uses his songs to analyze his past while refusing to deal with the ongoing reality of his mother’s emotional manipulation and physical abuse.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 15 July 2026

Definition of refusing

Verb

El-Sayed has built his campaign around bold policy proposals, rejecting corporate PAC money and casting himself as an alternative to the status quo of the Democratic Party.

— Joey Cappelletti, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
Kalshi lost an attempt to override New York’s state gambling laws yesterday, with a federal judge rejecting the prediction market operator’s request to prevent enforcement of the rules.

— Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 8 July 2026

Definition of rejecting

Verb

Rock Hill Mayor John Gettys said the city has spent four years turning down redevelopment offers for Palmetto Research Park in an effort to hold the property for higher-wage employers.

— John Marks, Charlotte Observer, 2 July 2026
Value your time by turning down unpaid tasks.

— Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 17 June 2026

Definition of turning down

Verb

The book does often feel like a recording of a mental jam session, but there is also a sense of being guided by a kind of hesitating yet urgent voice that needs to get things figured out.

— Craig Morgan Teicher, Literary Hub, 1 June 2026
While their rivals started spending significant sums of money as soon as the 2024-25 season finished, Spurs wasted a couple of weeks hesitating about the long-term future of then head coach Ange Postecoglou before replacing him with Thomas Frank.

— David Ornstein, New York Times, 29 May 2026

Definition of hesitating

Verb

In May, the agency proposed delaying emission standards set to kick in for new light- and medium-duty cars and trucks starting with model year 2027.

— Bloomberg, Oc Register, 9 July 2026
But, for older men with no pain or discomfort, doctors may suggest watchful waiting, delaying surgery until the need is clear.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 9 July 2026

Definition of delaying

Verb

There has been a lot of hand-wringing about the declining population of Los Angeles County, which lost 54,000 people from July 2024 to July 2025, the biggest numeric population drop in the nation during that period, by far.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
For years now, Olathe Schools has talked about its problem of declining enrollment.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2026

Definition of declining

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Cite this Entry

Style

“Abstaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstaining. Accessed 16 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of abstaining

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on abstaining

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

bibelot

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes