abstinence

[ ab-stuh-nuhns ]
See synonyms for abstinence on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. forbearance, especially habitual forbearance as a lifestyle choice, from any indulgence of a particular appetite, such as from sex or from the use of alcoholic beverages: The program promotes sexual abstinence for teens, but also provides information on contraception in case they become sexually active.

  2. any self-restraint, self-denial, or forbearance.

  1. the act of abstaining for any length of time from a substance or activity to which one has become addicted, but without actually dealing with the root causes of dependency: Abstinence addresses the symptoms of addiction, while sobriety has deeper mental and emotional dimensions.: See also sobriety (def. 3).

  2. the act of abstaining from a particular substance or activity as a spiritual discipline, as during Lent or some other period of religious fasting or self-denial: At one time Lenten abstinence from meat was stricter than it is today.

  3. Economics. the conserving of current income in order to build up capital or savings.

Origin of abstinence

1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English word from Latin word abstinentia.See abstain, -ence
  • Also ab·sti·nen·cy [ab-stuh-nuhn-see] /ˈæb stə nən si/ .

Other words for abstinence

Other words from abstinence

  • ab·sti·nent, adjective
  • pro·ab·sti·nence, adjective

Words that may be confused with abstinence

Words Nearby abstinence

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use abstinence in a sentence

  • abstinence has its drawbacks,” he said, shivering in the bitter wind which whirled the stinging smoke about them.

    The Gold Trail | Harold Bindloss
  • I—perhaps— His hand closed over her fingers with the nervous tension that these last days of abstinence had brought him.

    The Woman Gives | Owen Johnson
  • Cooked in the ashes, it makes a palatable but tough cake, which we enjoyed after our long abstinence from bread.

  • It is abstinence from evil quite as much as eager realization of good.

    Strong Souls | Charles Beard
  • Convalescence from a severe sickness is a just cause for sexual abstinence.

British Dictionary definitions for abstinence

abstinence

/ (ˈæbstɪnəns) /


noun
  1. the act or practice of refraining from some action or from the use of something, esp alcohol

  2. mainly RC Church the practice of refraining from specific kinds of food or drink, esp from meat, as an act of penance

Origin of abstinence

1
C13: via Old French from Latin abstinentia, from abstinēre to abstain

Derived forms of abstinence

  • abstinent, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012