INTEMPERANCE Synonyms: 30 Similar and Opposite Words

intemperance

noun

(ˌ)in-ˈtem-p(ə-)rən(t)s

Definition of intemperance

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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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

Noun

In 1978, the year after her mother’s death, Christina published her tell-all memoir, Mommie Dearest, chronicling her life at home—which included claims that her mother was abusive and suffered from alcoholism.

— Megan Johnson, Architectural Digest, 14 Oct. 2026
For years, Pollock’s brother Sande had nursed him through alcoholism and breakdowns, but then Krasner stepped in.

— Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 14 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

Trump is right to want to tame inequality, scale back some of the excesses of globalization, and secure supply chains of critical goods.

— Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026
In the 40 years since, every facet of Spacemen 3’s story has been turned over and generously embellished, resulting in an excess of grandeur and foresight projected onto the duo at the heart of it.

— Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of excess

Browse Nearby Words

intelligible

intemperance

intemperate

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Style

“Intemperance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/intemperance. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of intemperance

noun

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