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 conversation is illuminating for what goes unspoken with both boys refusing to acknowledge whatever is going on between them.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2026
Monarez testified before Congress last year that Kennedy ousted her for refusing to blindly approve guidance from that panel.

— Aria Bendix, NBC news, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of refusing

Verb

Many residents are balking at that timing and at Ryan’s lawsuit against Killingly’s wetlands board for rejecting the first version of the plan on July 6.

— Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 6 Aug. 2026
Roster movement in both directions has been constant this year, from The New Day's exit to a former champion reportedly leaving after rejecting a new deal to the April release of 11 former champions.

— Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of rejecting

Verb

Here are six signs that turning down a job offer deserves serious consideration.

— Kathy Caprino, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
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

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

Sacramento Regional Transit will adjust six bus routes beginning Sunday, including delaying departure times and eliminating one early-morning trip from Florin.

— Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 7 Aug. 2026
The discovery prevented the plane from being moved on schedule, delaying a flight and forcing JetBlue to use a different aircraft instead, according to the affidavit, an interruption estimated to cost the airline over $2,400.

— Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of delaying

Verb

The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, has released reports on declining inventories based on budget documents and other public information.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
Both have dealt with years of declining sales, but hemp beverages have opened a new market for a generation that isn’t drinking as much as its predecessors.

— Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 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.

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“Abstaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstaining. Accessed 9 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of abstaining

verb

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