abstemious
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abstemious
- /æbˈstiː.mɪ.əs/ UK
- /æbˈsti.mi.əs/ US
- /əb-/ US
Rhymes with -iːmiəs
Where it comes from
From Latin abstēmius (“abstaining from wine”); from ab, abs (“from”) + tēmus, a root of tēmētum (“intoxicating drink, especially strong mead or wine”) (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *temH- (“dark (referring to the colour of wine)”)) + -ous.
adjective more abstemious · most abstemious
- Refraining from freely consuming food or strong drink; sparing in diet; abstinent, temperate. It cannot be denied it [the chameleon] is (if not the moſt of any) a very abſtemious animall, and ſuch as by reaſon of its frigidity, paucity of bloud, and latitancy in the winter (about which time the obſervations are often made) will long ſubſist without a viſible ſuſtentation.
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Sparing in the indulgence of the appetite or passions.
The Ms had an abstemious sex life; in fourteen years of marriage, they had had sex exactly six times. Mrs. M desired sex and more children, but her husband refused.
Similar: abstentious, continent, abstemious, otherish, selfless, self-abnegatory, self-denying, self-flagellatory, self-sacrificing, unselfish, calm, collected
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Sparingly used; used with temperance or moderation.
If the predisposition to the disease has arisen from a plethoric state of the system, or from a turgescence in the vessels of the head, this is to be obviated by bleeding, both generally and topically, but more particularly the latter; an abstemious diet and proper exercise; and by a seton in the ne
Similar: frugal, sparing, abstemious, canny, chary, moderate, cheap, close with a buck, economic, economical, provident, husbandly · Opposite: extravagant, squandering, improvident, imprudent, lavish, loose-handed, prodigal, profligate, reckless, spendthrift, uneconomical, unthrifty
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Marked by, or spent in, abstinence.
an abstemious life
Similar: temperate
- Promotive of abstemiousness. But ſtranger Virtues yet in Streams we find, / Some change not only Bodies, but the Mind: / […] Clytorian Streams the love of Wine expel, / (Such is the virtue of th' abſtemious Well;) […]
Similar: abstemious, abstentious, abstinent, sober, spareful, temperate · Opposite: voracious, hedonistic, nonabstemious, nonabstinent, nontemperate, unabstemious, unsober
Thesaurus
adjective
Similar: abstemious, abstentious, abstinent, sober, spareful, temperate · Opposite: voracious, hedonistic, nonabstemious, nonabstinent, nontemperate, unabstemious, unsober
Translations
Every language
adj refraining from freely consuming food or strong drink
| Español | abstemio, sobrio |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 禁欲的 kinyokuteki, 節制した sessei shita |
| Deutsch | enthaltsam |
| Italiano | astemio |
| Ελληνικά | εγκρατής egkratís |
| Русский | возде́ржанный vozdéržannyj, уме́ренный umérennyj, скро́мный skrómnyj |
adj sparingly used; used with temperance or moderation
| Español | abstemio |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 검소한 geomsohan, 절제하는 jeoljehaneun |
| 中文 | 有節制 /有节制 yǒujiézhì |
| Русский | бережли́вый berežlívyj |
adj marked by, or spent in, abstinence
| Español | abstemio |
|---|
Talk about this word "abstemious." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/abstemious. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. abstemious. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/abstemious "abstemious." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/abstemious.Cite this
@misc{abstemious_2026,
title = {abstemious},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/abstemious},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
