temperance

American  

[tem-per-uhns, tem-pruhns] / ˈtɛm pər əns, ˈtɛm prəns /

noun

1. moderation or self-restraint in action, statement, etc.; self-control.

2. habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion, especially in the use of alcoholic liquors.

3. total abstinence from alcoholic liquors.

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temperance British  

/ ˈtɛmpərəns /

noun

1. restraint or moderation, esp in yielding to one's appetites or desires

2. abstinence from alcoholic drink

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Other Word Forms

• antitemperance adjective

Etymology

Origin of temperance

1200–50; Middle English temperaunce < Anglo-French < Latin temperantia self-control. See temper, -ance

Explanation

Temperance means restraint and moderation, but if you're talking about alcohol, temperance means not just drinking in moderation, it means not having it at all. The temperance movement appeared in the U.S. in the 19th century, at first urging moderation in drinking but eventually seeking to outlaw alcohol entirely. It managed to get Prohibition enacted in 1919, which did outlaw alcohol, but it was repealed in 1933. Temperance doesn't just have to do with alcohol, it can refer to avoiding any kind of excess: if your new diet requires temperance, you're eating in a balanced, sensible way. Temperance comes from the Latin temperare, "restrain."

Example Sentences

Anna Marshall, author of The Little Book of Christmas and Hogmanay, links it to a reaction against the temperance movement in the early 1800s.

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2025

Beloved in colonial America, hard cider lost favor in the mid-19th century as crisp lagers ascended; the temperance movement and Prohibition felled cider-apple trees.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025

They recognized actual social change as extending beyond the idea of temperance, which they saw as a necessary but insufficient condition for improving the U.S. social order during the mid-19th century.

From Salon • Nov. 10, 2024

Early Free Methodists were active in the temperance and abolitionist movements.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 22, 2024

In 1841, she made her first public speech, lecturing on temperance with a “dose” of women’s rights, as she reported in a letter to Mott.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling