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abstainer

American  
[ab-stay-ner] / æbˈsteɪ nər /

noun

  1. a person who abstains from something regarded as improper or unhealthy, especially the drinking of alcoholic beverages.

  2. a person who abstains from anything.


Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of abstainer

First recorded in 1525–35; abstain + -er 1


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

One notable abstainer is Apple, which has never participated -- preferring to show off new products at its own worldwide events, with the next one taking place on Wednesday.

From Barron's ● Feb. 27, 2026

“For parents across America,” writer and pickup line abstainer Angie Schmitt wrote last year, “the school car line is a daily punishment.”

From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2024

People want to enjoy a zero-proof cocktail — whether always, or just on occasion — with their friends, without standing out as an abstainer.

From Salon ● Dec. 16, 2023

But not from one notable abstainer, former President Trump, that self-described “very stable genius.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2023

I surely am as earnest a prohibitionist and total abstainer as any woman or man in South Dakota or anywhere else.

From The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony (Volume 2 of 2) Including Public Addresses, Her Own Letters and Many From Her Contemporaries During Fifty Years by Ida Husted Harper

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