CONTINENCE Synonyms: 113 Similar and Opposite Words

continence

noun

ˈkän-tə-nən(t)s

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

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Relevance

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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

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as in restraint

the power to control one's actions, impulses, or emotions a religious sect that demanded nearly superhuman continence from its adherents

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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

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of continence The pelvic floor supports the pelvic organs (the bladder, uterus and bowel), controls the body’s continence mechanisms and helps with core stability. —

Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025 The pelvic floor muscles need to work in a coordinated pattern, relaxing to allow urine to flow and contracting to maintain continence, said Alexis E. Te, MD, a professor of urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told Verywell. —

Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 3 Oct. 2025 Good posture helps maintain continence, support pelvic organs, and reduce back pain. —

Staci Tanouye, Parents, 29 Aug. 2023 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for continence

Noun

But prices for high-purity helium used in industrial sectors have doubled in China in the past month, according to Sublime China Information, a Chinese market intelligence firm.

— John Liu, CNN Money, 15 Apr. 2026
But the knowledge of how to enrich uranium to weapons-grade purity does not disappear when centrifuges are destroyed.

— Farah N. Jan, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2026