Abstinence1. (n.) Voluntary forbearance of an action, especially the refraining from an indulgence of appetite, or from customary gratifications of animal or sensual propensities. Specifically, the practice of abstaining from intoxicating beverages, -- called also total abstinence.
2. (n.) The practice of self-denial by depriving one's self of certain kinds of food or drink, especially of meat.
Thesaurus Entries
Albigensianism, Catharism, Encratism, Franciscanism, Friday, Lenten fare, Platonic love, Pythagoreanism, Pythagorism, Rechabitism, Sabbatarianism, Shakerism, Spartan fare, Stoicism, Trappism, Waldensianism, Yoga, abnegation, abstainment, abstemiousness, abstention, abstinence from food, anchoritic monasticism, anchoritism, asceticism, austerity, avoidance, banyan day, calm, calmness, celibacy, chastity, conservatism, constraint, continence, continency, control, cool, desuetude, dispassion, disuse, eremitism, eschewal, evenness, fast, fasting, fish day, flagellation, fruitarianism, gentleness, golden mean, gymnosophy, happy medium, impartiality, intactness, judiciousness, juste-milieu, lenity, maceration, maidenhead, maidenhood, meden agan, mendicantism, middle way, mildness, moderateness, moderation, moderationism, monachism, monasticism, mortification, nephalism, neutrality, nonemployment, nonprevalence, nonuse, nonviolence, nothing in excess, obsolescence, obsoleteness, obsoletion, obsoletism, pacifism, pensioning off, plain living, prudence, punishment of Tantalus, puritanism, refraining, refrainment, renunciation, repose, restraint, restriction of intake, retirement, rigor, self-abnegation, self-control, self-denial, self-mortification, self-restraint, serenity, sexual abstinence, simple diet, sobriety, spare diet, stability, starvation, steadiness, superannuation, teetotalism, temperance, temperateness, the pledge, total abstinence, tranquillity, unexcessiveness, unextravagance, unextremeness, unprevalence, vegetarianism, via media, virginity, voluntary poverty