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abstinence Definition

ab·sti·nence (ab′stə nəns)

noun

  1. the act of voluntarily doing without some or all food, drink, or other pleasures
  2. R.C.Ch. abstention from flesh meat on certain designated days

Etymology: ME < OFr < L abstinentia < prp. of abstinere: see abstain

abstinence Related Forms
ab′·sti·nent adjective ab′·sti·nently adverb
abstinence Synonyms

abstinence

n.

abstaining, abstention, abstemiousness, temperance, forbearance, denial, self-denial, self-control, self-restraint, continence, fasting, frugality, abnegation, renunciation, avoidance, sobriety, desistance, austerity, withholding, refraining, keeping aloof, nonindulgence, asceticism, moderation, soberness, chastity, Puritanism, teetotalism.

Antonyms indulgence*, overindulgence, intemperance.

abstinence Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • preach: Spiritual ascetics preach a complete abstinence from the world.
  • practice: Yet for hundreds of years couples have practiced abstinence, for example, without a sex education program.
  • advocate: It has been urged to rethink the methods used by its Teenage Pregnancy Unit, which hands out condoms rather than advocating abstinence.
  • achieve: Case closure, where service user has achieved abstinence or left the program.
  • promote: We aim to provide an individual treatment approach promoting abstinence enabling clients to maintain change.
  • maintain: Use the gum whenever there is an urge to smoke to maintain complete abstinence from smoking.

Adjective modifier

  • sexual: For some that will be a life of sexual abstinence.
  • prolonged: A Spider suddenly rushes from her hole: she has been rendered warlike, doubtless, by prolonged abstinence.
  • total: There are total abstinence lodges, which are fully total abstinence.
  • temporary: Research should be carried out on the effects of NRT during temporary abstinence on compensatory smoking.
  • long-term: Non smoking at four weeks has been shown to be a good predictor of long-term abstinence.
  • continuous: Women who exercise have been shown to achieve higher levels of continuous abstinence from smoking than non-exercisers.

Modifies a noun

  • syndrome: Therefore in such cases, patients should be monitored for opiate abstinence syndrome.
  • rate: Their results showed similar high abstinence rates to the study by Lando.

Noun used with modifier

  • smoking: Six weeks of smoking abstinence was confirmed by expired carbon monoxide.

Preposition: until

  • marriage: And they don't tell you that the answer is abstinence until marriage.

Preposition: from

  • alcohol: Examples of abstinence from alcohol are also to be found in the Bible.
  • smoking: Use the gum whenever there is an urge to smoke to maintain complete abstinence from smoking.
  • meat: Bodily penances such as fasting and abstinence from meat are still mandated by the Church for all Catholics on some days of Lent.
  • drug: Improvements in illicit drug use were found both for frequency of use outcomes and for outcomes based upon abstinence from drugs.
abstinence Quotes

Refined himself to soul, to curb the sense And made almost a sin of abstinence.

—Dryden,John

We ourselves esteem not of that obedience, or love, or gift, which is of force: God therefore let him free, set before him a provoking object, ever almost in his eyes; herein consisted his merit, herein the right of his reward, the praise of his abstinence.

—Milton,John

Multi quidem facilius se abstinent ut non utantur, quam temperent ut bene utantur. For many, total abstinence is easier than perfect moderation.

—St Augustine originally Aurelius Augustinus