intemperance

noun

(ˌ)in-ˈtem-p(ə-)rən(t)s How to pronounce intemperance (audio)
Definition of intemperancenext
1
as in alcoholism
habitual or excessive drinking of intoxicants in his harangue on the perils of drink, the prohibitionist claimed that intemperance has always been the number one destroyer of marriages

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in excessiveness
a propensity for extremes in one's actions, beliefs, or habits there's a wearisome intemperance in his verbal attacks against any and all who dare to disagree with him

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 intemperance Rather, the term has come to stand for a range of attributes—intemperance, ordinariness, outsiderness, likability, spontaneity—that aren’t especially related philosophically, either to authenticity or to one another. — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 5 June 2026 The power to issue absolute pardons, explicitly stipulated in the founding document, has been exploited with bipartisan intemperance. — Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025 But in 1832, people believed cholera was linked to intemperance and vice, which were thought to weaken the body. — William E. Watson, The Conversation, 1 Aug. 2025 Johnson was also a movement candidate, propelled into office by energized unions, frustrated progressives, and backlash from decades of police intemperance and economic inequality. — Andy Shaw, Chicago Tribune, 21 July 2025 In a situation that forbids explicit expressions of intemperance or protest, mischief is the perfect solution. — New York Times, 7 June 2022 Her attention to the vibrancy of our inner lives and to the barbed pleasure of sentimental intemperance has lately become more explicit. — Rachelvoronacote, Longreads, 10 Aug. 2020 The intemperance alienated some suffragists, and by 1875, when Anthony drafted the amendment that would bear her name, the movement had split. — USA Today, 26 Feb. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for intemperance
  1. alcoholism
  2. excessiveness
  3. excess
Noun
  • The film’s drama, though, centers more on Nakamura and Ei, who joined forces to compose a series of hits in the 1960s but quarreled and parted as Nakamura spiraled into alcoholism.
    — Mark Schilling, Variety, 28 Oct. 2026
  • In Rouse’s case, the energy department blamed alcoholism and family conflicts.
    — Lizz Giordano, ProPublica, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of alcoholism
Noun
  • The excessiveness of Ken Russell, Joe Coleman, Tasha Tudor, clowns, migraines, Priscilla Presley, and the Winchester Mystery House.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026
  • This excessiveness can hinder critical knowledge building because of the sheer amount of information that can be accessed simultaneously at any time.
    — Carmen Daniela Maier, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 May 2026
Definition of excessiveness
Noun
  • The proportions remain practical, and the overall design avoids some of the visual excesses found elsewhere in the segment.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The hotel interprets this mantra through balanced proportions, restrained interiors, and a hospitality approach that favors comfort over excess.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of excess

Browse Nearby Words

intelligible
intemperance
intemperate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Intemperance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intemperance. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of shindig

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All