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

That same day, another federal district judge in a separate case in California barred DOJ from threatening election workers with criminal prosecution for refusing to stop processing ballots or resisting other demands.

— Dan Mangan,Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026
Tanner McKee looked like a backup all night, holding the ball, taking sacks, refusing to throw downfield and turning the ball over twice.

— Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of refusing

Verb

Or maybe voters weren't rejecting the idea of a wealth tax per se.

— Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 10 Nov. 2026
In a small win for the defense, Sullivan issued a separate ruling rejecting the prosecution’s request for a gag order that would bar Clancy’s lawyers from speaking with the media about the case.

— Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 10 Nov. 2026

Definition of rejecting

Verb

By the late 1970s, the architect Norman Jaffe was turning down nine out of ten potential clients.

— Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 3 Nov. 2026
After 12 years, three standalone movies and a holiday special, Amanda Seyfried appears to have no regrets turning down a Guardians of the Galaxy lead role.

— Glenn Garner, Deadline, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of turning down

Verb

With more than seven million people packed into over 9,000 high-rises, efficiency is key here, and people will judge you for holding up lines, hesitating with your Octopus card, or lingering over your dim sum table while others are waiting.

— Lee Cobaj, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of hesitating

Verb

Policy experts warn that Democrats may have to settle for incremental changes, such as delaying the introduction of work requirements or expanding the list of exemptions.

— Josephine Murphy, NBC news, 13 Nov. 2026
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected accusations that Israel has been delaying the entry of winter supplies into the Gaza Strip as severe rains flood makeshift tents, worsening conditions in the enclave this week.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Nov. 2026

Definition of delaying

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“Abstaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstaining. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of abstaining

verb

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