abstainer

[ab-stey-ner]

noun

a person who abstains from something regarded as improper or unhealthy, especially the drinking of alcoholic beverages.

a person who abstains from anything.

Origin:
1525–35; abstain + -er¹

Related forms

non·ab·stain·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source

Link To abstainer

00:10

00:09

00:08

00:07

00:06

00:05

00:04

00:03

00:02

00:01

Abstainer is always a great word to know.

So is doohickey. Does it mean:

a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.

a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Collins

World English Dictionary

abstain (əbˈsteɪn)

—vb (usually foll by from)
1.	to choose to refrain: he abstained from alcohol
2.	to refrain from voting, esp in a committee, legislature, etc

[C14: via Old French from Latin abstinēre, from abs-ab-¹ + tenēre to hold, keep]

ab'stainer

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Word Dynamo Rating For Abstainer

People who can define Abstainer may know 11,290 words.

How many words do you know?

Enjoy Dictionary.com ad-free! Learn more

Matching Quote

"When I became President I was fully convinced that whatever might be true in Europe and of Europeans, in our climate and with the excitable temperaments of the Americans, the habitual use of intoxicating drinks was not safe. I regarded the danger of the habit as especially great in political and official life. It seemed to me that the example of excluding liquors from the White House would be wise and useful, and would be approved by good people generally.... I was not a total abstainer when I became President.... During the greater part of my term and at least for the last three years, I have been in practice and in theory a consistent total-abstinence man, and I shall continue to be so."

-Rutherford Birchard Hayes