abstinence
noun
ab·sti·nence ˈab-stə-nən(t)s 
1
: the practice of abstaining from something : the practice of not doing or having something that is wanted or enjoyable
… ate with a haste and an apparent relish, that seemed to betoken long abstinence from food.
Walter Scott
Walter Scott2
a
: habitual abstaining from intoxicating beverages
b
: abstention from sexual intercourse
abstinent
ˈab-stə-nənt
adjective abstinently adverb
Synonyms
- continence
- self-abnegation
- self-denial
- sobriety
- temperance
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
The program promoted sexual abstinence for young people. a cleric vainly preaching abstinence in a world where self-indulgence is regarded as almost a virtue
Recent Examples on the Web Johns Hopkins Medicine in 2014 found psilocybin helped longtime smokers quit, with an abstinence rate of 80% after six months. Fortune, 24 Aug. 2022 The strategy largely rests on the concept of harm reduction, focused not on helping drug users achieve abstinence but on lowering their risk of dying or acquiring infectious diseases. New York Times, 26 July 2022 The purity movement didn’t announce its arrival in this country with abstinence pledges and brash daddy-daughter dances. Sarah Green, refinery29.com, 17 Apr. 2022 These programs generally have better track records than even methadone programs for helping to ultimately achieve heroin abstinence. Joseph Friedman, Time, 6 Apr. 2022 Singer will advise attendees on how to have a traditional college experience while remaining abstinent, and keeping abstinence as the top priority while performing academically, as well as share campus resources and other tips. courant.com, 18 Jan. 2022 Instead of condemning such conduct, the strategy aims to reduce its negative impacts — by offering condoms, for instance, rather than solely abstinence messages. Bethany Rodgers, The Salt Lake Tribune, 31 Aug. 2021 That policy was partially lifted 30 years later, when the agency moved from a lifetime ban to a year of abstinence before giving blood. Megan Molteni, STAT, 7 Aug. 2022 Patrick Gallahue, a spokesman for the health department, declined to comment on Weiss’s reassignment but pushed back against his call for temporary abstinence. Fenit Nirappil And Amrita Jayakumar, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Aug. 2022 See More
Fortune, 24 Aug. 2022 The strategy largely rests on the concept of harm reduction, focused not on helping drug users achieve abstinence but on lowering their risk of dying or acquiring infectious diseases. New York Times, 26 July 2022 The purity movement didn’t announce its arrival in this country with abstinence pledges and brash daddy-daughter dances. Sarah Green, refinery29.com, 17 Apr. 2022 These programs generally have better track records than even methadone programs for helping to ultimately achieve heroin abstinence. Joseph Friedman, Time, 6 Apr. 2022 Singer will advise attendees on how to have a traditional college experience while remaining abstinent, and keeping abstinence as the top priority while performing academically, as well as share campus resources and other tips. courant.com, 18 Jan. 2022 Instead of condemning such conduct, the strategy aims to reduce its negative impacts — by offering condoms, for instance, rather than solely abstinence messages. Bethany Rodgers, The Salt Lake Tribune, 31 Aug. 2021 That policy was partially lifted 30 years later, when the agency moved from a lifetime ban to a year of abstinence before giving blood. Megan Molteni, STAT, 7 Aug. 2022 Patrick Gallahue, a spokesman for the health department, declined to comment on Weiss’s reassignment but pushed back against his call for temporary abstinence. Fenit Nirappil And Amrita Jayakumar, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin abstinentia, noun derivative of abstinent-, abstinens, present participle of abstinēre "to abstain"
First Known Use
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
abstinence
noun
ab·sti·nence ˈab-stə-nəns
: an avoidance by choice especially of certain foods or of liquor
Medical Definition
abstinence
noun
ab·sti·nence ˈab-stə-nən(t)s
: the act or practice of abstaining especially from engagement in sexual intercourse or consumption of intoxicating beverages
abstinence
noun
1
as in temperance
voluntary restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites a cleric vainly preaching abstinence in a world where self-indulgence is regarded as almost a virtue Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- temperance
- sobriety
- restraint
- discipline
- continence
- self-denial
- self-abnegation
- asceticism
- forbearance
- self-control
- austerity
- self-discipline
- self-mastery
- control
- self-command
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- gluttony
- greed
- hedonism
- sensuality
- rapacity
- voracity
- self-indulgence
- voraciousness
- rapaciousness
- sybaritism
2
as in purity
abstention from sexual intercourse an AIDS-prevention program that relies primarily on abstinence Synonyms & Similar Words
- purity
- celibacy
- chastity
- virginity
- continence
- chasteness
- virtue
- modesty
- innocence
- honor
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- debauchery
- licentiousness
- whoring
- lechery
- venery
- wenching