abstain
The word “abstain” has 2 syllables: ab-stain
It's pronounced as /əbˈsteɪn/
What is synonym and antonym for abstain?
In the thesaurus, “abstain” has 45 synonyms and 27 antonyms.
Here are synonyms and antonyms for abstain along with examples of usage in sentences.
Synonyms for abstain
- abjure
- abnegate
- avoid
- cease
- constrain
- curb
- decline
- delay
- deny oneself
- do without
- eschew
- evade
- fast
- fence-sit
- forbear
- forgo
- give the go by
- give up
- go on the wagon
- halt
- hesitate
- keep from
- pass
- pass up
- quit
- refrain
- refuse
- reject
- renounce
- shilly-shally
- shun
- sit on the fence
- sit out
- spurn
- stall
- starve
- stop
- take the cure
- take the pledge
- temporize
- turn down
- vacillate
- waffle
- waver
- withhold
Antonyms for abstain
- accept
- allow
- choose
- conclude
- continue
- cull
- decide
- decree
- determine
- do
- elect
- embrace
- encourage
- face
- figure
- handpick
- indulge
- meet
- name
- opt
- pick
- prefer
- resolve
- rule
- select
- use
- want
Meanings of abstain
- verb
- Keep or withhold oneself.
- Refrain from (something or doing something); keep from doing, especially an indulgence.
- Fast (not eat for a period).
- Deliberately refrain from casting one's vote at a meeting where one is present.
- Hinder; keep back; withhold.
Example Sentences
- I've decided to abstain from eating sweets for a month to improve my health.
- As a recovering alcoholic, he made a conscious choice to abstain from drinking alcohol.
- The doctor advised her to abstain from strenuous exercise until her injury healed.
- In order to maintain objectivity, the jury members were instructed to abstain from discussing the case outside the courtroom.
- Some people choose to abstain from voting in elections as a form of protest.
On this page you'll find 72 synonyms, antonyms, or another words to abstain, such as: abjure, abnegate, accept, allow, avoid, cease, choose.
Make sure to choose synonyms and antonyms that are appropriate for the context of the sentence.
Related Words
abnegate
- abandon
- abdicate
- abjure
- abstain
- back down
- back off
- backtrack
- bolt
- cede
- contradict
- controvert
- decline
- demit
- deny
- desert
- disallow
- disavow
- disclaim
- disown
- disprove
- dispute
- forbear
- foreswear
- forgo
- forsake
- forswear
- gainsay
- give up
- hand over
- negate
- negative
- quit
- rebut
- recall
- recant
- refrain
- refute
- reject
- relinquish
- renege
- renounce
- repeal
- repudiate
- resign
- retract
- revoke
- spurn
- surrender
- take back
- unsay
- vacate
- waive
- withdraw
- yield
fake out
- aberration
- abstain
- act
- affect
- allege
- alteration
- assume
- avert
- baffle
- bamboozle
- bash
- be deceitful
- be first
- be hypocritical
- beat
- beguile
- best
- betray
- better
- bewilder
- bleed
- blow away
- blow out of water
- bluff
- buffalo
- bulldoze
- bunco
- burn
- bury
- bypass
- cap
- catch
- cheat
- chicane
- chisel
- circumlocute
- circumvent
- claim
- claim falsely
- clobber
- cold-shoulder
- con
- confuse
- cook
- counterfeit
- cozen
- cream
- deceive
- defeat
- deflect
- deflection
- defraud
- deke
- delude
- departure
- desist
- detour
- deviation
- diddle
- digression
- dissemble
- dissimulate
- ditch
- divergence
- divert
- do a number on
- do in
- dodge
- double-cross
- down
- duck
- dupe
- eclipse
- elude
- end-run
- escape
- eschew
- euchre
- evade
- exceed
- excel
- fake
- feign
- fend off
- figure out
- finagle
- fish
- flee
- fleece
- flimflam
- fool
- fox
- frame
- fudge
- gaff
- gammon
- give the slip
- go beyond
- go one better
- gull
- have
- have on
- hide
- hoax
- hold off
- hoodwink
- hornswoggle
- humbug
- hustle
- illude
- impersonate
- jazz
- jive
- juggle
- juke
- jump
- keep clear
- kid
- lay claim
- lay low
- lead astray
- lead on
- lead one down the garden path
- lead one up the garden path
- leave behind
- let on
- lick
- lie
- make a fool of
- make a monkey of
- make believe
- make out
- malinger
- masquerade
- misguide
- misinform
- mislead
- mulct
- murphy
- obviate
- outclass
- outdistance
- outdo
- outfox
- outgeneral
- outguess
- outgun
- outjockey
- outmaneuver
- outrival
- outshine
- outsmart
- outstrip
- outthink
- overreach
- overrun
- pass off
- pass oneself off as
- play a trick on
- play games with
- play-act
- pretend
- profess
- psych out
- pull a fast one
- pull a fast one on
- pump-fake
- purport
- put on
- put one over on
- put up a front
- recoil
- red herring
- rook
- run a game on
- run circles around
- run for cover
- scam
- set up
- shake
- shake and bake
- shake off
- sham
- shirk
- shoot ahead
- shortchange
- shrink from
- shuck
- shuffle off
- shun
- shut out
- shy
- sidestep
- simulate
- skin
- skip
- skip out on
- skip town
- skirt
- slip
- snooker
- snow
- spoof
- squeeze
- stay away
- stay out
- steer clear of
- step aside
- stick
- sting
- stonewall
- string along
- stutter-step
- suck in
- sucker
- surpass
- swindle
- take for a ride
- take in
- tease
- top
- total
- transcend
- trash
- trick
- trifle
- turn aside
- turning
- variation
- ward off
- weave
- whitewash
- withdraw
- worst
fall short
- abandon
- abate
- abort
- abstain
- atrophy
- back wrong horse
- backfire
- backslide
- be careless
- be defeated
- be demoted
- be deprived of
- be found lacking
- be impoverished
- be in vain
- be late for
- be reduced
- be ruined
- become poorer
- bereave
- blow
- blunder
- bomb
- botch
- break down
- bust
- capitulate
- close
- collapse
- come a cropper
- come apart
- come to grief
- come to naught
- come to nothing
- come up empty
- compress
- concentrate
- condense
- constrict
- consume
- contract
- crash
- crater
- crumble
- decline
- decrease
- default
- deflate
- deplete
- depress
- deteriorate
- die
- die away
- die down
- die on the vine
- die out
- dim
- diminish
- disenchant
- disillusion
- disinherit
- displace
- dispossess
- disregard
- dissatisfy
- dissipate
- divest
- do without
- drain
- draw to a close
- drop
- drop off
- drop the ball
- dwindle
- ease off
- ebb
- err
- exhaust
- expend
- explode
- fade
- fade away
- fail
- fail to keep
- fall
- fall flat
- fall flat on face
- fall off
- fall through
- fizz out
- fizzle
- fizzle out
- flame out
- flop
- flounder
- flub
- flummox
- flunk
- fold
- forfeit
- forget
- founder
- fumble
- give up
- go astray
- go down
- go down swinging
- go downhill
- go short
- go under
- go up in smoke
- go wrong
- grow smaller
- hit bottom
- hit the skids
- ignore
- implode
- juggle
- lack
- lavish
- lay an egg
- leave in lurch
- leave stranded
- lessen
- let go
- let slip
- let up
- lose
- lose control
- lose out
- lose status
- lower
- meet with disaster
- miscarry
- misfire
- mislay
- misplace
- miss
- miss fire
- miss the boat
- miss the mark
- misspend
- moderate
- muff
- narrow
- need
- neglect
- omit
- oust
- overlook
- overshoot
- pass over
- pass up
- peter out
- play into
- poop out
- pull down
- reduce
- relent
- relinquish
- rob
- run aground
- sacrifice
- self-destruct
- shorten
- shrink
- shrivel
- sink
- skid
- skip
- slack off
- slacken
- slight
- slip
- slump
- squander
- stall
- strike out
- struggle
- subside
- suffer
- suffer loss
- surrender
- take down
- tank
- taper off
- trip
- trip up
- turn out badly
- undershoot
- underwhelm
- use up
- wane
- want
- wash out
- waste
- waste away
- weaken
- wind down
- wither
- wrinkle
- yield
fast
- PDQ
- a mile a minute
- abbreviated
- abridged
- abrupt
- abruptly
- absolutely
- abstain
- abstinence
- abundantly
- accelerated
- active
- acute
- adherent
- agile
- alert
- all
- all of
- all over
- all the way
- altogether
- anchored
- apace
- appetite
- apt
- ardent
- artful
- astute
- at full throttle
- at full tilt
- at length
- at speed
- attached
- avid
- basically
- bawdy
- beefy
- beguiling
- belly
- bent
- blistering
- blue streak
- bombproof
- bonded
- bound
- brainy
- breakneck
- breathless
- breathtaking
- brief
- bright
- brilliant
- brisk
- briskly
- by and large
- by leaps and bounds
- cagey
- cagy
- careless
- categorically
- cemented
- cerebral
- chiefly
- chop-chop
- clamped
- clean
- clever
- close
- cohesive
- cold
- compact
- compendious
- completely
- concise
- condensed
- confirmed
- constant
- constrained
- copiously
- crafty
- craving
- creative
- crisp
- crooked
- cunning
- curtailed
- cut-back
- dashing
- dead
- debauched
- deceitful
- deceiving
- deceptive
- dedicated
- deeply
- defrauding
- deluding
- delusive
- delusory
- deny oneself
- dependable
- depraved
- determined
- devil-may-care
- devious
- devoted
- devout
- diet
- discerning
- dishonest
- dissipated
- dissolute
- dizzy
- double-dealing
- double-quick
- double-time
- down the line
- down to the ground
- down-the-line
- downright
- duplicitous
- durable
- dutiful
- dyed-in-the-wool
- easy
- educated
- electric
- embedded
- emptiness
- energetic
- energetically
- enough
- enthusiastic
- entire
- entirely
- entrenched
- ephemeral
- epigrammatic
- erudite
- even
- exactly
- exceptional
- expeditious
- expeditiously
- expeditive
- extravagant
- faithful
- false
- famine
- famish
- famishment
- fastened
- fasting
- fervent
- fervid
- firm
- firmly
- flashing
- flat
- flat-out
- fleet
- fleet-footed
- fleeting
- fleetly
- flirtatious
- flying
- for fair
- forbear
- fortified
- foxy
- fraudulent
- frivolous
- frozen
- full
- full tilt
- fully
- furtive
- gadabout
- galloping
- generally
- generously
- genial
- giddy
- glued
- gluttony
- go hungry
- good
- gourmandism
- greatly
- greed
- guileful
- gung ho
- hairtrigger
- hands down
- hard
- hastened
- hastily
- hasty
- heady
- heartily
- held
- hell-for-leather
- high-speed
- highbrow
- hoggishness
- hot
- hunger
- hunger strike
- hurried
- hurriedly
- hyperintelligent
- hypersonic
- imbedded
- immediately
- immovable
- impacted
- impassioned
- impermanent
- impetuously
- implanted
- impregnable
- impulsively
- in a flash
- in a hurry
- in a jiffy
- in haste
- in nothing flat
- in short order
- in whole
- incontinent
- indecent
- indelible
- inextricable
- informed
- infrangible
- ingenious
- insidious
- insightful
- intelligent
- intemperate
- intent
- intrenched
- inventive
- inveterate
- irrefragable
- jammed
- judicious
- keen
- knowing
- knowledgeable
- laconic
- largely
- lascivious
- lasting
- learned
- lecherous
- lewd
- libertine
- libidinous
- licentious
- lickety split
- lickety-split
- light
- lightning
- like a bat out of hell
- like a flash
- like a shot
- like all get out
- like crazy
- like gangbusters
- like greased lightning
- like mad
- like wildfire
- literate
- little
- lodged
- logical
- loose
- loyal
- lustful
- mainly
- malnutrition
- momentary
- more or less
- mostly
- munchies
- nimble
- nippy
- not eat
- on the double
- out
- overall
- passionate
- perceptive
- percipient
- perfectly
- perfidious
- permanent
- perspicacious
- pious
- pithy
- plain
- plumb
- posthaste
- predominantly
- predominately
- presto
- primarily
- principally
- profligate
- prompt
- promptly
- pronto
- prudent
- quick
- quick-witted
- quickened
- quickly
- quite
- racing
- rakish
- rapaciousness
- rapacity
- rapid
- rapid-fire
- rapidly
- rashly
- rational
- rattling
- ravenousness
- readily
- ready
- reasonable
- reckless
- recklessly
- refrain
- reliable
- resistant
- resolute
- resourceful
- responsible
- rogue
- rush
- rushed
- sagacious
- sage
- salacious
- sane
- sapient
- savvy
- scholarly
- schooled
- secure
- secured
- securely
- self-gratifying
- self-indulgent
- sensible
- serious
- set
- shady
- sharp
- sharp-witted
- shifty
- short
- short-lived
- short-range
- short-term
- shortened
- shortish
- shrewd
- skilled
- slick
- slippery
- sly
- smart
- snap
- snappily
- snappy
- sneaking
- sneaky
- snug
- solid
- solidly
- soon
- sound
- soundly
- speedball
- speedily
- speedy
- split-second
- splitting
- sportive
- sporty
- stable
- stalwart
- stanch
- starvation
- starve
- staunch
- steadfast
- steadfastly
- steady
- stomach
- stone
- stone-cold
- strenuous
- strong
- stuck
- sturdy
- substantially
- subtle
- succinct
- sudden
- suddenly
- summary
- supersmart
- supersonic
- sure
- sweet tooth
- swift
- swiftly
- sworn
- syncopated
- tenacious
- terse
- thoroughly
- through and through
- tight
- tightly
- to bits
- to pieces
- to the hilt
- to the max
- totally
- tough
- trained
- transient
- transitory
- treacherous
- trickish
- tricky
- tried
- tried-and-true
- true
- true blue
- true-blue
- trustworthy
- trusty
- ultrafast
- ultrarapid
- ultrasmart
- unbreakable
- unchaste
- unconscionable
- underhand
- underhanded
- undernourishment
- unethical
- unfaltering
- unhesitating
- unprincipled
- unqualifiedly
- unscrupulous
- unwavering
- unyielding
- utterly
- velocious
- vigorous
- vigorously
- voraciousness
- voracity
- wanton
- wedged
- well
- well-read
- whirlwind
- wholly
- wide
- wild
- wily
- winged
- wise
- xerophagy
- zippy