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Synonyms

abstainer

American  
[ab-stey-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

  • nonabstainer noun

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.

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

He is a total abstainer, a non-smoker, and a frequenter of houses of fair reception.

From An Ocean Tramp by McFee, William

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.