as in ascetic
given to or marked by restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites
abstentious by nature, she eats only to satisfy actual hunger—never just for the sake of eating
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstentious
Adjective
-
How can a kindly, God-fearing, and ascetic novice monk compete against that?—
Karl Ove Knausgaard,
New Yorker,
21 Oct. 2025 -
In fact, the ascetic value of fasting from meat required that the person otherwise enjoy it.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Some have evolved exceedingly specific diets—diets that would put even the most abstemious human to shame.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
-
The solution offered up by some: the sort of abstemious, low-fat, often vegetarian, diets that had been prescribed as lust-control regimens only decades earlier.—
Rachel Hope Cleves / Made by History,
TIME,
14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Schneider reflects on Game 5 ‘what-ifs’ A cross-continent flight and 21 hours later, Schneider stepped in front of reporters.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Her razor-sharp songwriting, which is quippy like Kacey Musgraves and relatable like Taylor Swift, documents Zoee's cross-continent move, a handful of heartbreaks, and reflections on femininity.—
Audrey Gibbs,
Nashville Tennessean,
17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Ivan Neville has been on a few times and always talks being abstinent.—
Shirley Halperin,
Rolling Stone,
1 Oct. 2025
-
As a purist, Murray defines sobriety as being completely abstinent from habit-forming substances that could cause dependency, including prescription drugs like Xanax and Suboxone.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
23 Sep. 2025
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
“Abstentious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstentious. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share