abstemious
12 synonyms and 1 antonym for abstemious, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adj — Eating and drinking only small amounts, especially of alcohol, in a careful, controlled way.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. adj
Eating and drinking only small amounts, especially of alcohol, in a careful, controlled way.
“In the dimness of the landing I could not see him very well, but there was something in his voice that surprised me. I knew he was of abstemious habit or I should have thought he had been drinking.”
Opposites
3. adj
Used only in small, careful amounts.
4. adj
Involving, or spent in, deliberately going without pleasures such as food or drink.
Etymology
Abstemious comes from Latin abstēmius (“abstaining from wine”), formed from ab, abs (“from”) and tēmus, a root of tēmētum (“intoxicating drink, especially strong mead or wine”) — possibly from Proto-Indo-European *temH- (“dark (referring to the colour of wine)”) — plus -ous.
Full origin of abstemious →