temperance

[ tem-per-uhns, tem-pruhns ]

/ ˈtɛm pər əns, ˈtɛm prəns /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for temperance on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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

total abstinence from alcoholic liquors.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of temperance

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

OTHER WORDS FROM temperance

an·ti·tem·per·ance, adjective

Words nearby temperance

Tempelhof, temper, tempera, temperament, temperamental, temperance, temperate, Temperate Zone, temperature, temperature gradient, temperature-humidity index

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use temperance in a sentence

Temperance advocates actually won state laws banning alcohol sales starting in the 1840s.
Abortion will remain a national issue no matter what the Supreme Court does|David Karol|December 20, 2021|Washington Post
More importantly, Longworth viewed wine as a critical piece of the temperance movement.
America’s First Great Wine…Made in 1842|Jordan Salcito|November 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Such temperance may disappoint Catholics anxious for more sweeping changes in Rome.
He’s Their Pope: Francis Returns to Latin America|Mac Margolis|July 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Resistance to “The Star-Spangled Banner” also flared among blacks, pacifists, and advocates of temperance.
Star-Spangled Confederates: How Southern Sympathizers Decided Our National Anthem|Jefferson Morley|July 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Employ temperance in all things, avoiding overindulgence in celebration or self-deprivation.
The Stars Predict Your Week|Starsky + Cox|August 13, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Dear Mother, by thy heart then so cruelly martyred, obtain for me the virtue of temperance and the gift of counsel.
Mary, Help of Christians|Various
Accordingly, temperance was said farewell to, quinine instituted, and I believe my pains are soon to be over.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25)|Robert Louis Stevenson
The temperance, moreover, which it compels in those who cannot eat sea provisions, is very conducive to health.
Travels through the South of France and the Interior of Provinces of Provence and Languedoc in the Years 1807 and 1808|Lt-Col. Pinkney
Some one spoke of certain evangelists who were conducting a temperance campaign among the workers in the steel-mills.
Love's Pilgrimage|Upton Sinclair
He was a strictly temperance dog, and would allow no one on the premises who was what is called worse for liquor.
Minnie's Pet Dog|Madeline Leslie

British Dictionary definitions for temperance

temperance

/ (ˈtɛmpərəns) /

noun

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

abstinence from alcoholic drink

Word Origin for temperance

C14: from Latin temperantia, from temperāre to regulate

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

temperance

Origin of temperance

OTHER WORDS FROM temperance

Words nearby temperance

Words related to temperance

How to use temperance in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for temperance

Word Origin for temperance