abstention
Americannoun
-
a voluntary decision not to act; the act of refraining or abstaining
-
the act of withholding one's vote
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of abstention
1515–25; < Late Latin abstentiōn- (stem of abstentiō ), equivalent to Latin abstent ( us ), past participle of abstinēre to abstain + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Abstention is when someone deliberately avoids doing something, especially something that might be harmful. You might decide to live for a year without buying anything besides food — you could call the act of doing this abstention from the consumer lifestyle. Other kinds of abstention might include resisting junk food or quitting smoking. To abstain is to hold back or shun something. The root of both words is the Latin abstinere, "withhold, keep back, or keep off."
Vocabulary lists containing abstention
Vocabulary from the Lyrics of Stephen Sondheim, Volume I
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Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
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At Last She Stood
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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.
The buffer-zone law passed 44-5, with one abstention.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026
The Senate voted 46 in favor, 25 against, with one abstention after the lower Chamber of Deputies greenlit the budget.
From Barron's • Dec. 27, 2025
Labour MSs banged Senedd tables as the result of the vote came in with 29 Senedd members in support and 28 against, with one abstention from Dodds.
From BBC • Mar. 4, 2025
The lawmakers voted 224-196 in the Sejm with one abstention to liberalize access to the hormonal contraceptive, called ellaOne.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 22, 2024
On the 27th, at the Brotteaux, in a large public meeting, abstention from voting was decided upon.
From History of the Commune of 1871 by Lissagary, P.
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.
