teetotalism
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of teetotalism
Explanation
Teetotalism is a noun, meaning staying away from alcohol. If you see someone drinking a soda at a bar, he might practice teetotalism or he might just be planning to drive himself home. Since drinking alcohol is generally an accepted practice now, the word teetotalism has fallen out of common use. You might think the groups promoting teetotalism in the United States in the 1920s succeeded when laws were passed prohibiting alcohol (effective from 1920 to 1933). However, you would be wrong, because with the Prohibition era came underground bars and homemade moonshine.
Vocabulary lists containing teetotalism
Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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2014 Vocabulary Video Contest (M-Z)
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Vocab Video Contest (2016) - List 6
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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.
But teetotalism made him a “weird kid” in the small Bavarian town where he grew up.
From Scientific American • Jul. 9, 2019
Such total abstinence from alcohol is known as teetotalism.
From Textbooks • Dec. 30, 2014
Temperance societies developed a religious zeal for teetotalism.
From Slate • Jan. 15, 2014
The rambling, practically plotless play received an acclaimed production at the Almeida in 1998 with Kevin Spacey playing Hickey, a travelling salesman recently converted to teetotalism.
From The Guardian • Mar. 23, 2011
It is a pity some of the members of teetotalism do not undertake a proselytizing expedition to China, for in these intellectual entertainments of the people they would find a fair field for their labour.
From Ti-Ping Tien-Kwoh The History of the Ti-Ping Revolution (Volume I) by Lindley, Augustus F.
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.
