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
Gunn is in good company in the Hollywood celibacy club.
—
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Feb. 2026
As the world outside begins to resemble the full-moon mating frenzy of the opalescent squid, crack open Sylvia Townsend Warner’s 1948 novel about nuns eking out an existence in a 14th-century convent and one night of celibacy might not seem so bad.
—Air Mail, 14 Feb. 2026
Nearly three centuries later, the Shaker founder could become an unlikely icon for Gen Z, who are bringing celibacy back in staggeringly high numbers, according to a slew of recent studies.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 24 Jan. 2026
The celibacy edict eventually contributed to the demise of the Harmonists, who left Indiana in 1824 and moved east to Economie, Pennsylvania.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for celibacy
Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Feb. 2026
As the world outside begins to resemble the full-moon mating frenzy of the opalescent squid, crack open Sylvia Townsend Warner’s 1948 novel about nuns eking out an existence in a 14th-century convent and one night of celibacy might not seem so bad.
—Air Mail, 14 Feb. 2026
Nearly three centuries later, the Shaker founder could become an unlikely icon for Gen Z, who are bringing celibacy back in staggeringly high numbers, according to a slew of recent studies.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 24 Jan. 2026
The celibacy edict eventually contributed to the demise of the Harmonists, who left Indiana in 1824 and moved east to Economie, Pennsylvania.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for celibacy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for celibacy
Noun
-
Reformation conducted a direct aesthetic and technical comparison between Project Latvus fabric and that made with wood pulp, concluding the wheat straw fabric was comparable in purity and presented no major quality concerns.—
Jennifer Bringle,
Footwear News,
1 June 2026
-
His victim, in her unassailable purity, resists him, thereby proving that the arrivistes populating the ranks of England’s most upwardly mobile class had a moral edge over the nobility.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Augustinians also take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
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Having spent much of his adult life in the Order of St Augustine, whose friars and sisters take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience with a focus on unity and community, his priorities are unity and building bridges.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But he's benefited from his busy daily workload and a lifetime of abstinence from tobacco and alcohol, said his physician, Sean Barbabella.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
30 May 2026
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Rather than framing non-alcoholic beer around abstinence or restriction, the activations are designed to recreate the communal atmosphere traditionally associated with beer and live sports.—
Daphne Ewing-Chow,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Celibacy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/celibacy. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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