abstain
English · Thesaurus
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abstain
- /əbˈsteɪn/ UK
- /əbˈsteɪn/ US
- /æbˈsteɪn/ US
Rhymes with -eɪn
Where it comes from
First attested around 1380. From Middle English absteynen, absteinen, abstenen, from Old French astenir, abstenir, from Latin abstineō (“to hold oneself back”) from abs- (“from”) + teneō (“to hold”). See also tenable.
verb abstains · abstaining · abstained · abstain
- Keep or withhold oneself.
- Refrain from (something or doing something); keep from doing, especially an indulgence. In order to improve his health, Rob decided to abstain from smoking.
- To refrain from drinking alcohol. … she had made Bunting abstain very early in their acquaintance. … Glad she was now that he had taken the pledge as a younger man; but for that nothing would have kept him from the drink during the bad times they had gone through.
- Fast (not eat for a period).
- Deliberately refrain from casting one's vote at a meeting where one is present. I abstain from this vote, as I have no particular preference.
- Hinder; keep back; withhold. Whether he abstain men from marying [sic].
Similar: abjure, deny oneself, forbear, forgo, give up, refrain, relinquish, withhold
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: refrain, desist, refraining, abstention, withhold, forbear, deny, forgo, avoid, eschew, reticence, resist, refuse, abandon, forbearance, deprive
verb
Similar: abjure, deny oneself, forbear, forgo, give up, refrain, relinquish, withhold
Translations
Every language
verb refrain from — see also refrain
| Español | abstenerse |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 慎む tsutsushimu, 差し控える sashihikaeru |
| 中文 | 避免 bìmiǎn, 戒除 jièchú, 棄權 /弃权 qìquán |
| Português | abster-se, privar-se |
| Français | s'abstenir |
| Deutsch | verzichten |
| Italiano | astenersi |
| Română | abține |
| العربية | اِمْتَنَعَ imtanaʕa |
| עברית | התנזר hitnazér, נמנע nimná |
verb refrain from voting
| Español | abstenerse |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 投票を棄権する tōhyō o kiken suru |
| 中文 | 棄權 /弃权 qìquán |
| Português | abster-se |
| Français | s'abstenir |
| Deutsch | sich enthalten |
| Italiano | astenersi |
| Русский | возде́рживаться vozdérživatʹsja, воздержа́ться vozderžátʹsja |
| עברית | נמנע nimná |
Talk about this word "abstain." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/abstain. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. abstain. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/abstain "abstain." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/abstain.Cite this
@misc{abstain_2026,
title = {abstain},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/abstain},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
