as in purity
abstention from sexual intercourse
a widower who has maintained absolute celibacy since the death of his wife
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Recent Examples of celibacy
Foundational Shaker beliefs, such as celibacy and gender equality, were incompatible with the outside world, so Lee’s followers built their own.
—
Lila Allen, Architectural Digest, 26 Dec. 2025
While in prison for blasphemy, Lee had a risqué vision of Adam and Eve, and concluded that celibacy was the cure for worldly temptation.
—Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
But many outsiders were also alarmed by their ritual dances, whose intensity and emotion demonstrated a physicality seemingly incongruous with their celibacy.
—Christian Goodwillie, The Conversation, 22 Dec. 2025
Omarion has been very open about his intense celibacy experience in the past, previously discussing it last summer during a sit-down with the Know Thyself podcast.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for celibacy
Lila Allen, Architectural Digest, 26 Dec. 2025
While in prison for blasphemy, Lee had a risqué vision of Adam and Eve, and concluded that celibacy was the cure for worldly temptation.
—Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
But many outsiders were also alarmed by their ritual dances, whose intensity and emotion demonstrated a physicality seemingly incongruous with their celibacy.
—Christian Goodwillie, The Conversation, 22 Dec. 2025
Omarion has been very open about his intense celibacy experience in the past, previously discussing it last summer during a sit-down with the Know Thyself podcast.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for celibacy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for celibacy
Noun
-
Government mints produce gold bullion coins to standardized weights (typically one troy ounce), with strict purity requirements and legal tender status in their home country.—
Sharon Wu,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The series followed the Christian fundamentalist clan who used their television platform to preach purity, modesty and religious devotion.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
If one revisits the past to dispel myths, one worth dispelling is that of a lost era of chastity.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
18 Feb. 2026
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In a nutshell, chastity is the practice of orgasm denial, often through a device like a dedicated cage.—
Mikelle Street,
Them.,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But the answer doesn’t seem to be total abstinence.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
20 Mar. 2026
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Millions of Muslims around the world every year observe Ramadan, a period of prayer, reflection and abstinence that coincides with the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Celibacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/celibacy. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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