1
as in temperateness
an avoidance of extremes in one's actions, beliefs, or habits
my father attributes his ripe old age to temperance in all things, especially eating and drinking
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in abstinence
voluntary restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites
practices a blue-blooded temperance that his parvenu neighbors will never understand
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of temperance
The temperance movement, which aimed to reduce alcohol use, gained steam in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
—
Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 16 Sep. 2025
The movie clip reveals how much temperance, humanity, and transcendence Mary Jackson needs to navigate a system that has embedded injustices that few see or understand.
—Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
There were many episodes about temperance, women's suffrage and Jim Crow laws this season on the series, all historical elements that brought great change and chaos to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025
As a side note to this pledge, some temperance pledges allowed for beer and wine.
—Alice Burton, Vulture, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for temperance
Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 16 Sep. 2025
The movie clip reveals how much temperance, humanity, and transcendence Mary Jackson needs to navigate a system that has embedded injustices that few see or understand.
—Mary Crossan, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
There were many episodes about temperance, women's suffrage and Jim Crow laws this season on the series, all historical elements that brought great change and chaos to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2025
As a side note to this pledge, some temperance pledges allowed for beer and wine.
—Alice Burton, Vulture, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for temperance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for temperance
Noun
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But Cygnet Infinity—which received gold at the Spirits Business’s Low & No Masters 2026 Awards—is less about abstinence than embracement.—
Nick Scott,
Robb Report,
19 Jan. 2026
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For decades, tobacco policy has been built around the idea that the only acceptable endpoint is abstinence.—
Kevin Bardosh,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Next week, the metro will experience gradual moderation with highs climbing back into the teens and 20s.—
Joseph Dames,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
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Instead of shutting off the internet due to hybrid warfare in Sudan, the Thomson Foundation calls for more moderation by social media platforms, including quickly blocking fake accounts and reducing the reach of hate speech.—
Christine Ro,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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For individuals in recovery, those internal and external pressures can collide with the neurological and emotional challenges of early sobriety.—
Maria Williams,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
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Gregg said sobriety took a back seat to his more immediate needs, such as finding food and a bed in a shelter.—
Aaron Bolton,
NPR,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Deviations from protocol can become focal points in criminal defense challenges, civil rights litigation and internal discipline reviews.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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The exercise focused on decision-making, flight control, and airspace discipline, all under realistic conditions spanning miles of airspace and thousands of feet of altitude.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The Forever Fleece Wide-leg Pants are the perfect addition to your travel wear, offering an extra roomy fit, plush fleece fabric, and unbeatable softness for all-day wear with no restraint.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Jan. 2026
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That action demonstrates enthusiasm in the turnaround, tempered by some restraint around where the multiyear targets ultimately land.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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Old family patterns or inner-child wounds could surface, not to derail you, but to remind you that leadership doesn’t mean emotional self-denial.—
Dossé-Via Trenou,
Refinery29,
21 Dec. 2025
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Saint Anthony was an Egyptian monk whose relics were brought to France during the Crusades in the Middle Ages, after inspiring many people to take up seclusion and self-denial.—
Alex Ledsom,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Her vocation requires the skill of transformation and self-abnegation, as well as a receptiveness to language and emotion not her own.—
Jordan Kisner,
The Atlantic,
4 Apr. 2025
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The audience responds gratefully to this level of self-abnegation, and the frankly chilling sounds that come out of her.—
Helen Shaw,
The New Yorker,
25 Oct. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Temperance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/temperance. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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