1
as in temperance
voluntary restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites
a cleric vainly preaching abstinence in a world where self-indulgence is regarded as almost a virtue
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in purity
abstention from sexual intercourse
an AIDS-prevention program that relies primarily on abstinence
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abstinence
But the increase in abstinence among younger people may lower the percentages of Americans drinking heavily, because those drinking patterns are somewhat more common in young people, says Brown.
—
Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Considering the all pervasiveness of AI viewing, total AI-abstinence is not a pragmatic approach.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025
At the state level, some California Democrats have pushed legislation to amend the state’s housing first policy to allow more funding for abstinence-only treatment centers and sober living homes.
—Ethan Varian, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
The governmental obsession with abstinence was a purely American phenomenon.
—Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstinence
Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Considering the all pervasiveness of AI viewing, total AI-abstinence is not a pragmatic approach.
—Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025
At the state level, some California Democrats have pushed legislation to amend the state’s housing first policy to allow more funding for abstinence-only treatment centers and sober living homes.
—Ethan Varian, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
The governmental obsession with abstinence was a purely American phenomenon.
—Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abstinence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstinence
Noun
-
Indiana is staunchly conservative, but its Republicans tend to foster a deliberate temperance.—
Isabella Volmert,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
-
The temperance movement, which aimed to reduce alcohol use, gained steam in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This emphasis on both design purity and technical refinement elevates the Sweptail beyond a typical bespoke build.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Suburbia offered the illusion of moral purity, deepening social segregation as highways allowed a quick access to and from the city centre.—
Fahad Zuberi,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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This assertion that Mary was a child of a well-to-do family might have some historical validity since this text was composed at a time when the poverty and celibacy of the Holy Family had become associated with her nunlike virtue.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Sheen is one of a number of celebrities who have been open about going through periods of celibacy.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In a nutshell, chastity is the practice of orgasm denial, often through a device like a dedicated cage.—
Mikelle Street,
Them.,
1 Oct. 2025
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The title that has become attached to the painting over time curiously characterizes the Virgin Mary by the fruit, perhaps in recognition of her chastity, especially when considered in the context of Persephone’s myth.—
Demir Alp,
JSTOR Daily,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Burr plays a gruff American record-store owner who convinces a ragtag gang of teenage misfits that their best, and possibly only, chance to lose their virginity before graduating high school is at a massive open-air mass for the visiting Pope.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
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That’s realized quite literally by the prolific Swedish actor Stig Järrel, who plays Satan as an aristocrat in a state of perpetual ocular discomfort due to Britt-Marie’s insistence on holding onto her virginity.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abstinence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstinence. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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