celibacy

[ sel-uh-buh-see ]

/ ˈsɛl ə bə si /

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See synonyms for celibacy on Thesaurus.com

noun

abstention from sexual relations.

abstention by vow from marriage: the celibacy of priests.

the state of being unmarried.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of celibacy

First recorded in 1655–65; from Latin caelibā(tus) “celibacy” (caelib-, stem of caelebs “single” + -ātus -ate³) + -cy

OTHER WORDS FROM celibacy

cel·i·bat·ic

[sel-uh-bat-ik], /ˌsɛl əˈbæt ɪk/, adjective

Words nearby celibacy

celestite, Celia, celiac, celiac disease, celiac plexus, celibacy, celibate, Céline, celioscope, celiotomy, cell

How to use celibacy in a sentence

Pre-modern Christian women had options besides celibacy as well, although the state, the church and mediocre medicine limited their reproductive choices.
As Texas Ban On Abortion Goes Into Effect, A Religion Scholar Explains That Pre-Modern Christian Attitudes On Marriage And Reproductive Rights Were Quite Different|LGBTQ-Editor|September 13, 2021|No Straight News
For eight to 10 days, Jains focus on the values of forgiveness, humility, straightforwardness, truth, contentment, self-restraint, penance, renunciation, nonattachment and celibacy.
Fasting May Have Become a Health Fad, But Religious Communities Have Been Doing It For Millennia|LGBTQ-Editor|July 30, 2021|No Straight News
Like many evangelical and Christian denominations, the Seventh-day Adventist Church believe that being LGBTQ is a sin, and that life-long celibacy is the only acceptable response to a LGBTQ person’s sexuality.
Most Christian Colleges Will Never Be a Safe Space For LGBTQ Students. But They Must Still Do Better To Affirm and Support Us|Eliel Cruz|July 1, 2021|Time
Others have run the gamut from a few worries to strict celibacy.
Can we relearn being social?|Tom Sommers|March 19, 2021|Washington Blade

Kao said aspects of the shooting is reminiscent of “incel” culture and the men who blame women for their involuntary celibacy.
Atlanta spa killings lead to questions about sex work and exploitation|Jessica Contrera, Tracy Jan, Douglas MacMillan|March 19, 2021|Washington Post
When it appears it is largely used to chastise transsexuals and to promote celibacy.
Intersexuality and God Through the Ages|Candida Moss|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And the ones protesting the loudest may be the war-mongering men forced into pacifist celibacy.
Japanese Women Tell Their Men They Have to Choose Between Love and War|Jake Adelstein, Angela Erika Kubo|May 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By embracing celibacy, Hales is embarking upon one of the only sanctioned paths for LGBT students at BYU.
Mormon U. Forces Gays to Be Celibate|Emily Shire|May 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Priestly celibacy, obviously: you'll naturally attract people who can't act on their sexual desires in public.
Sex Abuse Scandals at Horace Mann: What Do They Tell Us About Private School?|Megan McArdle|March 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Do you think that if the rules on celibacy were loosened, this would change things considerably?
Alex Gibney’s ‘Mea Maxima Culpa’: Sex, Lies, and the Catholic Church|Michael Moynihan|February 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He was rather gratified than otherwise to hear that Mr. Puffin had begun to waver in his ideas about celibacy.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume II (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Those religious systems which impose celibacy on the priesthood are not without reason for it.
Toilers of the Sea|Victor Hugo
His only remedy is to abolish the poor-rates, and starve the poor into celibacy.
The English Utilitarians, Volume II (of 3)|Leslie Stephen
Soon adultery becomes the most respectable form of marriage, and widowhood and celibacy are commonly practised.
L. Annaeus Seneca On Benefits|Seneca
They were setting at defiance the laws of celibacy; they not only sought wives, but they lived in concubinage.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume V|John Lord