Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The act or habit of deliberate self-denial.
- noun An abstaining vote or voter.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A holding off or refraining; abstinence from action; neglect or refusal to do something.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective The act of abstaining; a holding aloof.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Non-participation in the political world; as a country avoiding international affairs.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the trait of abstaining (especially from alcohol)
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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This moral abstention is nosing its way down our streets with insidious intent.
Capital Punishment Newmania 2007
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This moral abstention is nosing its way down our streets with insidious intent.
Archive 2007-08-19 Newmania 2007
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Mr. Zapatero, who runs a minority government, got the package through with the sole votes of his Socialist party and abstention from a Basque nationalist party that he is wooing furiously for support on his next challenge, which is much bigger: passing a budget for 2011.
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"We have a duty to find out if the abstention was a true reflection of her intention," he said.
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"We have a duty to find out if the abstention was a true reflection of her intention," he said.
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Closely related to emotional restraint is the idea of abstention from greed, vice and other activities that distract the mind and disrupt the natural harmony of the Three Treasures.
The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity Daniel Reid 1989
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Or, is it that course of duties, called abstention from acts, by which an extension of the Soul is to be sought?
The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 3 Books 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 Kisari Mohan [Translator] Ganguli
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But he did none of these things, and his abstention was the sign and measure of his coolness, of his sanity.
The Combined Maze May Sinclair 1904
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The reason for my abstention is a very simple one.
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As it was, however, the idea of abstention seems never to have occurred to them.
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