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
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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.
"Max, a vegetarian and a teetotaler who expanded his consciousness through yoga, not drugs, was one of the most visible and successful artists of his time," the Times said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
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
“We just lose the teetotaler vote with ours, whereas they’re pissing off half the country,” Gallagher said.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 7, 2023
Which may explain why the president, famously, is a teetotaler, as is his sister.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 13, 2022
A teetotaler himself, he made his living buying and selling liquor.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
