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

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
Unsurprisingly, the wine lists are impeccable across the property, from Santé Restaurant to 38º North Wine Bar, which takes its name from the temperate latitude that cuts through some of the world’s finest wine regions.

— CNT Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 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 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of abstemious

adjective

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