temperance

[tem-per-uhns, tem-pruhns] / ˈtɛm pər əns, ˈtɛm prəns /

NOUN

self-restraint; abstinence

Synonyms

STRONG

abnegation abstemiousness asceticism astringency austerity conservatism constraint continence control discretion forbearance forgoing frugality measure moderateness moderation moderatism mortification prohibition prudence reasonableness restraint sacrifice self-control self-denial self-discipline soberness sobriety stoicism teetotalism

WEAK

eschewal golden mean happy medium refrainment self-deprivation uninebriation unintoxication

Antonyms

STRONG

agitation allowance carelessness indulgence permission rashness wildness

WEAK

excess intemperance

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Edinburgh was more the intellectual city in Scotland and the temperance movement went alongside the more industrial areas."

From BBC • Dec. 29, 2025

Mr. Patten, as implied, is sober to the point of temperance.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

They recognized actual social change as extending beyond the idea of temperance, which they saw as a necessary but insufficient condition for improving the U.S. social order during the mid-19th century.

From Salon • Nov. 10, 2024

Early Free Methodists were active in the temperance and abolitionist movements.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 22, 2024

Stanton scaled back her work on temperance reform after 1842, when she gave birth to her first child, a boy, named Daniel Cady Stanton.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

Vocabulary lists containing temperance

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

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Born a Crime

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