What does "temperance" mean?
Habitual moderation in regard to the indulgence of the natural appetites and passions; restrained or moderate indulgence.
Temperance
/ˈtɛmpəɹəns/ name, noun
name, noun ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Habitual moderation in regard to the indulgence of the natural appetites and passions; restrained or moderate indulgence.
- Grammar: temperance is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: moderation, abnegation, abstemiousness, abstention.
- Useful contrasts: schmaltziest, addiction, agromania.
- Usage evidence: Health coexists with temperance.
How to use "temperance"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "temperance" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "temperance" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "temperance" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "temperance" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "temperance" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "moderation" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "temperance", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Habitual moderation in regard to the indulgence of the natural appetites and passions; restrained or moderate indulgence. countable, uncountable
"temperance in eating and drinking"
- 2 the act of tempering wordnet
- 3 Moderation, and sometimes abstinence, in respect to using intoxicating liquors. countable, uncountable
"Another error, as it seems to me, into which the old reformers fell, was the position that all habitual drunkards were utterly incorrigible, and therefore must be turned adrift and damned without remedy in order that the grace of temperance might abound, to the temperate then, and to all mankind some hundreds of years thereafter."
- 4 abstaining from excess wordnet
- 5 Moderation of passion; calmness. countable, uncountable
"[…] in the verie Torrent, Tempeſt, and (as I may ſay) the Whirle-winde of Paſſion, you muſt acquire and beget a Temperance that may giue it Smoothneſſe."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 the trait of avoiding excesses wordnet
- 7 State with regard to heat or cold; temperature. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"It [the climate] must needs be of subtle, tender, and delicate temperance."
Proper Noun
- 1 A female given name from English.
- 2 The fourteenth trump or major arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks.
Example
"Health coexists with temperance."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "temperance"?
Common synonyms include: moderation, abnegation, abstemiousness, abstention, abstinence, abstinence.
How do you use "temperance" in a sentence?
Health coexists with temperance.
How do you pronounce "temperance"?
Pronounced /ˈtɛmpəɹəns/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Anglo-Norman temperance, from Latin temperantia (“moderation, sobriety, discretion, self-control”), from temperans, present participle of temperare (“to moderate”). See temper. English equivalent temper + -ance.
Etymology 2
From temperance. A virtue name first used by Puritans in the 16th century.