ABSTEMIOUS Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

abstemious

adjective

ab-ˈstē-mē-əs

Definition of abstemious

as in ascetic

given to or marked by restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites being abstemious diners, they avoid restaurants with all-you-can-eat buffets

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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.

Recent Examples of abstemious Some have evolved exceedingly specific diets—diets that would put even the most abstemious human to shame. — Scott Travers, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025 Caroline Schiff, 38, the executive pastry chef at Brooklyn’s Gage & Tollner, says that a decade ago, abstemious diners often asked for sliced fruit in lieu of sugary creations. — Ella Quittner, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2023 Low mass has always been a Miata virtue, endowing the car with not just precise handling but also an abstemious appetite for tires and fuel. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 21 July 2023 But somehow, during his more recent years in Gujarat, Modi had managed to rebrand himself as a sunny, pro-business techno-utopian, an abstemious leader with an intuitive grasp of 21st-century infrastructure and social media. — Mohammad Ali, WIRED, 14 Apr. 2020 See All Example Sentences for abstemious

Recent Examples of Synonyms for abstemious

Adjective

But there is a certain ascetic simplicity to this labyrinthine heritage building that remains relatively unadorned.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
And there were posters tearing apart his otherworldly self-projection as a fakir, or ascetic, depicting him in his monogrammed suits, designer sunglasses, and aircraft.

— Asim Ali, Time, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of ascetic

Adjective

But while southern regions warmed up, the weather on the Isle of Skye remained temperate.

— Robbie Griffiths, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026
The scientists spotted the fungus during fieldwork in the temperate coniferous forests near Damaidi and Yipinglang and in a tropical rainforest near Nanbang in southern China.

— Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of temperate

Adjective

The body of research on non-abstinent recovery has been growing as well.

— Kristen Rogers, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026
Not everybody needs to spend the rest of their life totally abstinent with a cup of shitty coffee in a Styrofoam cup regurgitating platitudes.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of abstinent

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“Abstemious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abstemious. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of abstemious

adjective

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