1
as in purity
abstention from sexual intercourse
argued for a pregnancy-prevention program that did not put so much faith in the continence of teenagers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in discipline
the checking of one's true feelings and impulses when dealing with others
experiencing a moment of unusual continence, I refrained from returning her gratuitous insult
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in restraint
the power to control one's actions, impulses, or emotions
a religious sect that demanded nearly superhuman continence from its adherents
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in temperance
voluntary restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites
a gambling mecca that has a reputation for being the sort of place where caution and continence are thrown to the wind
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of continence
This includes the five major types: stress incontinence, urge incontinence, mixed incontinence, overflow incontinence, and functional continence.
—
Jamin Brahmbhatt, Verywell Health, 29 July 2024
Good posture helps maintain continence, support pelvic organs, and reduce back pain.
—Staci Tanouye, Parents, 29 Aug. 2023
Profligate spending under George W. Bush forever made laughable any Republican assertion of fiscal continence.
—Christopher Buckley, Washington Post, 5 Aug. 2022
Any chance Sally or Ed has anxiety, digestive or continence issues, hearing loss …?
—Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2023
Aging in the modern era is about slow unstoppable loss - of hearing, of memory, of mobility, of continence, of dignity.
—Kyle Munkittrick, Discover Magazine, 9 Sep. 2011
To maintain continence, the puborectalis muscle chokes the anal canal.
—Cara Schacter, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2022
But even with the delayed start, most healthy, neurotypical kids achieve at least daytime continence by age three.
—Leah Campbell, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2021
Share prices have soared for large Danish health companies such as Coloplast — a major player in the market for colostomy pouches, continence and skin and wound care treatments — and Genmab, a biotech company specializing in cancer treatments.
—Matt Phillips, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2020
Jamin Brahmbhatt, Verywell Health, 29 July 2024
Good posture helps maintain continence, support pelvic organs, and reduce back pain.
—Staci Tanouye, Parents, 29 Aug. 2023
Profligate spending under George W. Bush forever made laughable any Republican assertion of fiscal continence.
—Christopher Buckley, Washington Post, 5 Aug. 2022
Any chance Sally or Ed has anxiety, digestive or continence issues, hearing loss …?
—Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2023
Aging in the modern era is about slow unstoppable loss - of hearing, of memory, of mobility, of continence, of dignity.
—Kyle Munkittrick, Discover Magazine, 9 Sep. 2011
To maintain continence, the puborectalis muscle chokes the anal canal.
—Cara Schacter, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2022
But even with the delayed start, most healthy, neurotypical kids achieve at least daytime continence by age three.
—Leah Campbell, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2021
Share prices have soared for large Danish health companies such as Coloplast — a major player in the market for colostomy pouches, continence and skin and wound care treatments — and Genmab, a biotech company specializing in cancer treatments.
—Matt Phillips, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for continence
Noun
-
That’s a sprawling site that has been operating since 2003, and where Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60% purity, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
21 June 2025
-
These centrifuges had been enriching up to 5 percent purity, according to experts.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 June 2025
Noun
-
This kind of discipline builds clarity, momentum and trust.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
-
The prompt-a-thon process reframes prompting as a high-impact diagnostic and design discipline—engineered for fast, actionable insight.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
Some voices, such as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, have urged restraint against rushing to defer to Israel’s efforts—putting leading leftists in an odd confluence with folks like Carlson and former Trump counselor Steve Bannon.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
17 June 2025
-
While members called for restraint and diplomacy, divisions remain.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 June 2025
Noun
-
After all, this lakeside community — home to Northwestern University — was the epicenter of the American temperance movement.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
23 June 2025
-
Having unexpectedly come into a fortune when her husband died last season, Ada is putting her inheritance to use backing settlement houses and, to the horror of her sister Agnes, the temperance movement.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
My interest in these figures long predated my interest in celibacy.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
11 June 2025
-
This is what makes asexuality different from celibacy or abstinence.—
Dominique Fluker,
Essence,
7 June 2025
Noun
-
Human rights groups have also warned that near-total internet blackouts across Iran can be used as a tool of repression, blocking the population from sharing information with the outside world.—
Chantal Da Silva,
NBC news,
25 June 2025
-
Decades of repression, economic mismanagement and growing legitimacy crises have left the regime weakened at home.—
Pegah Banihashemi,
Chicago Tribune,
25 June 2025
Noun
-
He’s taken vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and lived in a community with other priests.—
Erika Page,
Christian Science Monitor,
8 May 2025
-
The dismissal came after a more than year long dispute between the nuns and the diocese that began when Olson investigated a report that the nuns’ leader, the Rev. Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach, broke her chastity vows with a priest from outside the diocese.—
Elizabeth Campbell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
For how much their environment (interactions with people) impacted them, men showed more inhibition than women.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
-
Its ability to lower inhibitions and amplify emotions can turn minor arguments into serious, sometimes dangerous conflicts.—
Tribune Content Agency,
Mercury News,
29 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Continence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/continence. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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