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abstinence

or ab·sti·nen·cy

[ ab-stuh-nuhns or ab-stuh-nuhn-see ]

/ ˈæb stə nəns or ˈæb stə nən si /

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR abstinence ON THESAURUS.COM

WATCH NOW: What Does "Abstinence" Mean For You?

WATCH NOW: What Does "Abstinence" Mean For You?

"Abstinence" is so very often about personal choices. That's why we should also try to abstain from judgment.

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noun

forbearance from any indulgence of appetite, especially from the use of alcoholic beverages: total abstinence.

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

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

the state of being without a drug, as alcohol or heroin, on which one is dependent.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of abstinence

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English word from Latin word abstinentia. See abstain, -ence

SYNONYMS FOR abstinence

1 abstemiousness, sobriety, teetotalism.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR abstinence ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsab·sti·nent, adjectiveab·sti·nent·ly, adverbpro·ab·sti·nence, adjective

Can be confusedabstention abstinence

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for abstinence

Dr. Melson says abstinence only training shows no delay in sexual activity.
The Next Frontier of Sex Ed: How Porn Twists Teens’ Brains|Aurora Snow|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I had tried various forms of home detox but I was unable to maintain any form of abstinence.
I Detoxed from Heroin in Jail|Tracey Mitchell|June 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One exception is the occasional overdose that occurs following a period of abstinence like rehab or jail.
Heroin: America’s Silent Assassin|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Robert M. Lober, MD, PhD|February 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Instead I felt envious of this earlier version of myself, unencumbered by the burden of abstinence.
There's a Reason That Addicts Say Yes to Drugs|Megan McArdle|March 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST

No one asked the deeper question: why is abstinence the only theologically credible approach to young-adult sexuality?
Evangelicals Struggle to Address Premarital Sex and Abortion|David Sessions|July 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Use Fasting and severe Abstinence, which are the proper Abscissions of the instruments and temptations of lust.
The Curtezan unmasked|Annonymous (a Spiritual Physician)
At last, after many days' abstinence, the junior partner smiled.
The Prodigal Father|J. Storer Clouston
The period of abstinence should certainly extend from the beginning of menstruation to the fourteenth day.
Plain Facts for Old and Young|John Harvey Kellogg
We believe in abstinence from all injurious practices, and from the use of all hurtful things.
Gospel Doctrine|Joseph F. Smith
State the distinction between "temperance" and "abstinence."
New Word-Analysis|William Swinton

British Dictionary definitions for abstinence

abstinence

/ (ˈæbstɪnəns) /

noun

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

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

Derived Formsabstinent, adjective

Word Origin for abstinence

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

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

Word Origin and History for abstinence

abstinence

n.

mid-14c., "forbearance in indulgence of the appetites," from Old French abstinence (earlier astenance), from Latin abstinentia, noun of quality from abstinentem (nominative abstinens), present participle of abstinere (see abstain). Specifically of sexual appetites from mid-14c., but also in Middle English of food, fighting, luxury.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for abstinence

abstinence

[ ăb′stə-nəns ]

n.

The act or practice of refraining from indulgence in an appetite, as for certain foods, drink, alcoholic beverages, drugs, or sex.

Related formsab′sti•nent adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.