abstinent

as in ascetic
given to or marked by restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites grew up in a family where abstinent behavior was expected and self-indulgence of any kind was scorned and castigated

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstinent
Adjective
  • While Mathu is an ascetic loner, Malby was a hedonistic womanizer.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Feb. 2025
  • By the 18th century, the 13 major ascetic akharas, or sects of Hindu priests, played a central role in Kumbh Mela rituals.
    Aakash Hassan, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Some have evolved exceedingly specific diets—diets that would put even the most abstemious human to shame.
    Scott Travers, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025
  • The solution offered up by some: the sort of abstemious, low-fat, often vegetarian, diets that had been prescribed as lust-control regimens only decades earlier.
    Rachel Hope Cleves / Made by History, TIME, 14 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • Unlike the Antarctic of today, Late-Cretaceous Antarctica was warmer and wetter, with temperate weather and lush vegetation.
    Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 5 Feb. 2025
  • The weather in Palermo is generally temperate in winter, with average highs around 50℉, but summers can be brutal, making a case for air-conditioning.
    Irene S. Levine, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Are cruises good vacation options for sober travelers?
    Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2025
  • He’s now been sober for 34 years and runs a sober living environment (SL) program in Oakland called My Brothers Helper.
    Jim Harrington, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The cross-continent trek for Rye Riptides, which students and now-retired Rye Junior High School science teacher Sheila Adams stuffed with photos of the Rye students, a facemask with their signatures on it, fall leaves, acorns and state quarters, was conducted with the help of Educational Passages.
    Ian Lenahan, USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2022
  • The totem pole was carved by members of the Lummi Nation and is being transported from their home in Washington state to Washington, D.C., as part of a 15-day, cross-continent journey to advocate for the protection of sacred places and the expansion of tribal sovereignty rights.
    Zak Podmore, The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 July 2021
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Abstinent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstinent. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!