teetotaler
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of teetotaler
Explanation
If you are a teetotaler, you stay away from drinking alcoholic beverages. Some people assume that teetotaler and the related word teetotal were coined to refer to people who totally abstained from drinking anything stronger than tea, but this is incorrect. (Note the spelling difference of the prefix tee.) One theory on the words' origins is that a man called Dicky Turner stuttered in an 1833 speech in Preston, England. He claimed that moderation was not sufficient, instead pledging "t-t-total" abstinence.
Vocabulary lists containing teetotaler
100 Words to Make You Sound Smart
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This Week In Culture: Current Events Vocab for September 26–October 2, 2020
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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.
My New Year’s resolution is to do something similar: I plan to become a social-media teetotaler in 2026.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026
Still, the famous teetotaler who happens to own a winery shouldn’t be toasting to his victory just yet.
From Slate ● Dec. 7, 2022
Unlike her brother, Bobbie did not partake of marijuana; she was Christian and a teetotaler.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2022
“I’m only kidding about this. If next time I see you, you don’t have it, you have to buy the drinks,” said Biden, who then explained he was a teetotaler.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 28, 2021
A teetotaler himself, he made his living buying and selling liquor.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
