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

There’s something to be said for refusing to budge from your core principles of timeless design, high-quality materials and a focus on natural fibers for four decades.

— Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 29 July 2026
That brought a public outcry and boycott that led to NBC refusing to air the awards in 2022.

— Andrew Dalton, Fortune, 29 July 2026

Definition of refusing

Verb

One bill sought to lower the threshold for rejecting district court judges in retention elections from 50% of the vote plus one to 40%.

— Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 24 July 2026
White collar workers are rejecting their company’s AI tools, just as protests against data centers increase across the country.

— Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 23 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

While some may be looking for more reasons to eat cookies, many more are simply hesitating to eat salads and other fresh produce amid a multistate outbreak of cyclospora, known for that unpleasant symptom, among others.

— Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
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

Definition of hesitating

Verb

When these systems are under-resourced, investigations become more difficult, delaying interventions that protect the public.

— Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 24 July 2026
The court will sit in September to decide whether to strike down the statutory foundation of the inquiry, delaying one of South Africa’s biggest political risks.

— Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 24 July 2026

Definition of delaying

Verb

However, declining vaccination rates fueled by vaccine hesitancy have created pockets of susceptible individuals where the virus can spread quickly.

— Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 24 July 2026
Idaho’s divorce rate has been steadily declining for nearly half a century, and since 2020, has been below the low-water mark set in 1956, according to data collected since 1950.

— Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 23 July 2026

Definition of declining

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“Abstaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstaining. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of abstaining

verb

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