abstinent

as in ascetic
given to or marked by restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites grew up in a family where abstinent behavior was expected and self-indulgence of any kind was scorned and castigated

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstinent
Adjective
  • This is especially clear in the contrast between Marcus Luria and his father, the ascetic sage Zalia Ziskind.
    Adam Kirsch, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2025
  • While Mathu is an ascetic loner, Malby was a hedonistic womanizer.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Feb. 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
  • Spanish canals operated in a temperate climate and were managed by individual farmers who could maintain or increase their water flow.
    Ari Caramanica, The Conversation, 8 Apr. 2025
  • In fact, the more temperate weather can be the best time to snuggle up outside, sit by a fire pit, and enjoy a new piece of outdoor furniture.
    Shea Simmons, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Oct. 2024
Adjective
  • Less hangovers, less weight gain and moderate use have been part of the trend of California sober where people have given up alcohol for marijuana.
    Tribune Content Agency, Mercury News, 13 May 2025
  • David has been sober for six years and performs at rehabilitation centers every week, hoping to inspire others.
    Emily Blackwood, People.com, 13 May 2025
Adjective
  • The cross-continent trek for Rye Riptides, which students and now-retired Rye Junior High School science teacher Sheila Adams stuffed with photos of the Rye students, a facemask with their signatures on it, fall leaves, acorns and state quarters, was conducted with the help of Educational Passages.
    Ian Lenahan, USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2022
  • The totem pole was carved by members of the Lummi Nation and is being transported from their home in Washington state to Washington, D.C., as part of a 15-day, cross-continent journey to advocate for the protection of sacred places and the expansion of tribal sovereignty rights.
    Zak Podmore, The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 July 2021
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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Cite this Entry

“Abstinent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstinent. Accessed 22 May. 2025.

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