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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of temperance
Indiana is staunchly conservative, but its Republicans tend to foster a deliberate temperance.
—
Isabella Volmert, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2025
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
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
Those interviewed for this article – whose backgrounds range from science to politics – have found that humanity, honesty, compassion, humility, and temperance are needed in these frank conversations.
—Stephen Humphries, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for temperance
Isabella Volmert, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2025
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
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
Those interviewed for this article – whose backgrounds range from science to politics – have found that humanity, honesty, compassion, humility, and temperance are needed in these frank conversations.
—Stephen Humphries, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for temperance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for temperance
Noun
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Keeping Your Liver Healthy The World Health Organization recommends abstinence from alcohol, stating that no amount of alcohol is considered safe.—
Angela Ryan Lee,
Verywell Health,
10 Mar. 2026
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So why do abstinence-only models remain so prominent?—
Gwilym Roddick,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Matcha is generally safe to drink in moderation.—
Mark Gurarie,
Verywell Health,
12 Mar. 2026
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Harris has promised moderation and a focus on the district's problems, contrasting himself with Greene's bomb-throwing style.—
JEFF AMY AND SOPHIE BATES THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Neighbors shared video of the crash and captured police conducting a sobriety test on the driver.—
Briseida Holguin,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
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The California Highway Patrol was able to safely pull her over before conducting a series of field sobriety tests.—
Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
There was the loss of many of the discipline engineers who were necessary to assess the labor requirements for the mission.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Mar. 2026
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The board’s responsibilities include looking into the academy’s morale, discipline, curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, financial affairs, academic methods and other matters.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Because college football players can’t unionize and bargain rules, anti-tampering and other prohibitions aren’t exempt from antitrust scrutiny and can be challenged as unreasonable restraints on trade and price-fixing schemes.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
12 Mar. 2026
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Heller notes that restraint matters too—excessive throw pillows can make a primary bedroom feel fussy.—
Jacorey Moon,
Architectural Digest,
12 Mar. 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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At the beginning of her relationship with John, Carolyn’s central problem was that being part of the Kennedy family demanded some level of self-denial.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
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On Ash Wednesday, many Christians go to church for a service that emphasizes the start of a season of reflection, self-denial and repentance from sin.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Feb. 2026
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 15 Mar. 2026.
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