1
as in alcoholism
habitual or excessive drinking of intoxicants
in his harangue on the perils of drink, the prohibitionist claimed that intemperance has always been the number one destroyer of marriages
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in excessiveness
a propensity for extremes in one's actions, beliefs, or habits
there's a wearisome intemperance in his verbal attacks against any and all who dare to disagree with him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of intemperance
The power to issue absolute pardons, explicitly stipulated in the founding document, has been exploited with bipartisan intemperance.
—
Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
But in 1832, people believed cholera was linked to intemperance and vice, which were thought to weaken the body.
—William E. Watson, The Conversation, 1 Aug. 2025
Johnson was also a movement candidate, propelled into office by energized unions, frustrated progressives, and backlash from decades of police intemperance and economic inequality.
—Andy Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 21 July 2025
In a situation that forbids explicit expressions of intemperance or protest, mischief is the perfect solution.
—New York Times, 7 June 2022
Over a career that made headlines for landmark victories such as a six-figure judgment, later reversed, against LAPD Chief Daryl Gates, Yagman also became notorious for intemperance, most pointedly evidenced by his brutal characterization of a federal judge.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2021
Her attention to the vibrancy of our inner lives and to the barbed pleasure of sentimental intemperance has lately become more explicit.
—Rachelvoronacote, Longreads, 10 Aug. 2020
The intemperance alienated some suffragists, and by 1875, when Anthony drafted the amendment that would bear her name, the movement had split.
—USA Today, 26 Feb. 2020
Acton, whose Catholicism shaped every facet of his thought and work, identified this excess with a certain kind of Protestant intemperance.
—Yuval Levin, National Review, 31 Dec. 2019
Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
But in 1832, people believed cholera was linked to intemperance and vice, which were thought to weaken the body.
—William E. Watson, The Conversation, 1 Aug. 2025
Johnson was also a movement candidate, propelled into office by energized unions, frustrated progressives, and backlash from decades of police intemperance and economic inequality.
—Andy Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 21 July 2025
In a situation that forbids explicit expressions of intemperance or protest, mischief is the perfect solution.
—New York Times, 7 June 2022
Over a career that made headlines for landmark victories such as a six-figure judgment, later reversed, against LAPD Chief Daryl Gates, Yagman also became notorious for intemperance, most pointedly evidenced by his brutal characterization of a federal judge.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2021
Her attention to the vibrancy of our inner lives and to the barbed pleasure of sentimental intemperance has lately become more explicit.
—Rachelvoronacote, Longreads, 10 Aug. 2020
The intemperance alienated some suffragists, and by 1875, when Anthony drafted the amendment that would bear her name, the movement had split.
—USA Today, 26 Feb. 2020
Acton, whose Catholicism shaped every facet of his thought and work, identified this excess with a certain kind of Protestant intemperance.
—Yuval Levin, National Review, 31 Dec. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intemperance
Noun
-
The hotel heir — who died of a heart attack in 1969 — was reportedly abusive and struggled with alcoholism.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
7 May 2026
-
Then just two weeks later, her father died by suicide after a long, largely unseen struggle with alcoholism and depression.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Yet the outcome of the big bang was somehow a tiny sliver more matter than antimatter—all the galaxies, dust and living things in the universe belong to this minuscule excess.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
8 May 2026
-
Delano Miami Beach, which was built in 1947 and became a wildly popular hot spot for celebrities and a symbol of Miami Beach excess after a 1995 renovation, has reopened after six years.—
Connie Ogle
May 8,
Miami Herald,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Intemperance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intemperance. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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