Definition of intemperancenext
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

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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

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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 intemperance Rather, the term has come to stand for a range of attributes—intemperance, ordinariness, outsiderness, likability, spontaneity—that aren’t especially related philosophically, either to authenticity or to one another. Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 5 June 2026 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intemperance
Noun
  • As for her own struggles with substance abuse, Sweetin has been candid about her efforts to get sober after years of battling meth and cocaine addiction, in addition to alcoholism.
    Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 1 July 2026
  • In the second season, we were introduced to Carmy and Mikey’s mother Donna (Jamie Lee Curtis), whose dysfunctions, including alcoholism, certainly helped create the family’s addiction to chaos.
    Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
Noun
  • This excessiveness can hinder critical knowledge building because of the sheer amount of information that can be accessed simultaneously at any time.
    Carmen Daniela Maier, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026
Noun
  • Attems Sauvignon Blanc, Venezia Giulia IGT, $20 Attems offers a slightly riper, more generous introduction to Friulian sauvignon blanc, but never veers into tropical excess.
    Devin Parr, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • Working with 5 to 6 pieces at a time, remove fish from batter, allowing excess to drip back into bowl, and add to hot oil, briefly dragging fish along surface of oil to prevent sticking.
    ABC News, ABC News, 29 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Intemperance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intemperance. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.

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