abstention
an act or instance of abstaining.
withholding of a vote.
Origin of abstention
1Other words from abstention
- ab·sten·tious, adjective
- non·ab·sten·tion, noun
- un·ab·sten·tious, adjective
Words that may be confused with abstention
- abstention , abstinence
Words Nearby abstention
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use abstention in a sentence
For most of us, the best response to these risks is not complete abstention, but moderate and communal enjoyment of beer and wine.
The Pandemic Changed How We Drink. It's Time to Go Back to the Joy of Social Drinking | Edward Slingerland | December 30, 2021 | TimeIsrael's ambassador to Germany, Yakov Hadas-Handelsmann, expressed his surprise about Germany's U.N. abstention.
Israel And Germany's Not-So-Special Relationship | Kate Connolly | December 5, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTIn this circumstance, an abstention was unfavorable to Israel.
The total number of voters in Venezuela is 18 million, and 25 percent abstention is expected.
Could Hugo Chávez Really Lose Venezuela’s Election? | Boris Muñoz | October 6, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTCoined the 'Janopause' by the Daily Mail, it requires just one month of abstention.
A second diplomat told the Daily Beast that a Chinese abstention may be "inevitable."
But M. Nicklauss, with his great experience of the world, deemed this almost general abstention of the fair sex unnatural.
The Nabob | Alphonse DaudetHe has not been there since, and the following pages will perhaps explain the reason of his abstention.
Masterpieces of Mystery, Vol. 1 (of 4) | VariousThe abstention of a single sense from the coupling is enough to enfeeble the pleasure very greatly.
The Natural Philosophy of Love | Remy de GourmontA total abstainer is one who abstains from everything but abstention, and especially from inactivity in the affairs of others.
The Devil's Dictionary | Ambrose BierceIf he were not going to build on the ground so carefully prepared, to what end this wariness and this abstention?
The Long Night | Stanley Weyman
British Dictionary definitions for abstention
/ (əbˈstɛnʃən) /
a voluntary decision not to act; the act of refraining or abstaining
the act of withholding one's vote
Origin of abstention
1Derived forms of abstention
- abstentious, 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
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