teetotaler

or tee·to·tal·ist

[tee-toht-ler, tee-toht-]

See more synonyms for teetotaler on Thesaurus.com

noun

a person who abstains totally from intoxicating drink.

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Also especially British, tee·to·tal·ler.

Origin of teetotaler

First recorded in 1825–35; teetotal + -er¹

Related formsnon·tee·to·tal·er, nounnon·tee·to·tal·ist, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

abstainer abstinent prohibitionist

Examples from the Web for teetotaler

Contemporary Examples

One friend indicates that Mr. Polanski is almost a teetotaler.
The Lost Polanski Transcripts
Marcia Clark
October 2, 2009

Historical Examples

I'm as good a teetotaler now as you be, and I never was what you'd call a soak.
The Rise of Roscoe Paine
Joseph C. Lincoln
It came to her ears that I had become a teetotaler for the duration of the war.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 150, January 19, 1916
Various
As regards the blood habit, the male mosquito is a "teetotaler."
The Home Medical Library, Volume V (of VI)
Various
The only safe man there, as well as everywhere else, indeed, is the teetotaler.
Select Temperance Tracts
American Tract Society
Ram-stam may be said to have been a teetotaler in this respect.
Under the Waves
R M Ballantyne

Word Origin and History for teetotaler

n.

also teetotaller; agent noun from teetotal (q.v.).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper