What is another word for abstain?

Synonyms for abstain
æbˈsteɪnab·stain

This thesaurus page includes all potential synonyms, words with the same meaning and similar terms for the word abstain.

Wiktionary2.7 / 9 votes

  1. abstainverb

    Synonyms:
    refrain, deny, withhold, relinquish, forbear, give up, forgo

  2. abstainverb

    Refrain from (something); hold one's self aloof; to forbear or keep from doing, especially an indulgence of the passions or appetites; -- with from.

    Synonyms:
    refrain, withhold, forgo, give up, deny, relinquish, forbear

  3. abstainverb

    To shun voluntarily.

    Synonyms:
    deny, refrain, give up, forgo, withhold, relinquish, forbear

  4. abstainverb

    Deliberately refrain from casting one's vote at a meeting where one is present.

    Synonyms:
    forgo, forbear, deny, give up, refrain, withhold, relinquish

  5. abstainverb

    Hinder; withhold.

    Synonyms:
    forbear, withhold, refrain, forgo, relinquish, give up, deny

English Synonyms and Antonyms0.0 / 0 votes

  1. abstain

    Strains of music may gradually or suddenly cease. A man quits work on the instant; he may discontinue a practise gradually; he quits suddenly and completely; he stops short in what he may or may not resume; he pauses in what he will probably resume. What intermits or is intermitted returns again, as a fever that intermits. Compare ABANDON; DIE; END; REST.

    Synonyms:
    bring to an end, cease, come to an end, conclude, desist, discontinue, end, end, finish, give over, intermit, leave off, pause, quit, refrain, stop, terminate

    Antonyms:
    begin, commence, enter upon, inaugurate, initiate, institute, originate, set about, set going, set in operation, set on foot, start

    Preposition:
    Cease from anger.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms2.0 / 3 votes

  1. abstain

    Synonyms:
    refrain, forbear, refuse, demur, avoid, cease, stop, keep back, desist, discontinue, withhold, scruple

    Antonyms:
    indulge, exceed, reveal, wanton

Princeton's WordNet5.0 / 1 vote

  1. abstainverb

    refrain from voting

    Synonyms:
    desist, refrain

    Antonyms:
    take in, consume, have, take, ingest

  2. abstain, refrain, desistverb

    choose not to consume

    "I abstain from alcohol"

    Synonyms:
    desist, forbear, refrain

    Antonyms:
    take in, have, ingest, take, consume

Matched Categories

Dictionary of English Synonymes0.0 / 0 votes

  1. abstainverb

    Synonyms:
    refrain, forbear, desist, deny one's self, hold or keep one's self back, stay one's hand, keep one's self from indulgence

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated Words0.0 / 0 votes

  1. abstainverb

    Synonyms:
    forbear, refrain, withhold, deny one's self

    Antonyms:
    indulge

PPDB, the paraphrase database0.0 / 0 votes

  1. List of paraphrases for "abstain":

    refrain, abstention, abstaining, desist, forbear, abstentions

How to pronounce abstain?

How to say abstain in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

rankingword
#317end
#1038stop
#2215avoid
#2674finish
#6027quit
#7367refuse
#7851deny
#8648conclude
#10518terminate
#10611pause
#11444cease
#17539refrain
#22808discontinue
#23641withhold
#28757abstain
#35669desist
#41807relinquish
#49362forgo
#54502abstentions
#63683abstaining
#64813abstention
#90962forbear
#120240scruple
#157222demur
#318728intermit

How to use abstain in a sentence?

  1. Eric Schultz:

    The US did not draft this resolution nor did the US introduce this resolution, the Egyptians, in partnership with the Palestinians, are the ones who began circulating an earlier draft of the resolution. The Egyptians are the ones who moved it forward on Friday. And we took the position that we did when it was put to a vote. The White House already has acknowledged Obama made the decision for U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power to abstain. Unclear was how involved the Obama administration was in crafting and pushing the resolution itself – which initially was put forward by Egypt, and then pursued as well by New Zealand, Malaysia, Senegal and Venezuela. Netanyahu told his cabinet on Sunday that while the U.S. and Israel for decades had disagreed on settlements, they had an understanding that such action before the U.N. Security Council would make peace negotiations harder.

  2. Antonio Barroso:

    The pact between the Socialists and Ciudadanos is aimed at tagging the PP and especially Podemos with the blame of potential new elections if they do not abstain to facilitate a Sanchez-led administration, the strategy is to force Podemos to assume the cost of voting alongside the PP, and to accuse incumbent Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of irresponsible behavior for not wanting to support a reasonable, encompassing reformist agreement.

  3. Marie Antoinette:

    It would be doing me great injustice to think that I have any feeling of indifference to my country; I have more reason than anyone to feel, every day of my life, the value of the blood which flows in my veins, and it is only from prudence that at times I abstain from showing how proud I am of it.

  4. Augustine of Hippo:

    To abstain from sin when one can no longer sin is to be forsaken by sin, not to forsake it.

  5. Cortni Borgerson:

    A shellfish allergy increases the likelihood that you will be allergic to cicada, so it’s better to be safe than sorry and abstain from land arthropods if you can’t eat their sea swimming cousins.


Translations for abstain

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

Get even more translations for abstain »

Translation

Find a translation for the abstain synonym in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Citation

Use the citation below to add these synonyms to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"abstain." Synonyms.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.synonyms.com/synonym/abstain>.

Discuss these abstain synonyms with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good synonym for abstain?

    Image or illustration of

    abstain

    Credit »

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant synonyms for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant synonyms for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Browse Synonyms.com

    Quiz

    Are you a human thesaurus?

    »
    What could be a synonym for Fur?
    A Strand
    B Bang
    C Pelt
    D Hair

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for abstain: