Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

abstention

American  
[ab-sten-shuhn] / æbˈstɛn ʃən /

noun

  1. an act or instance of abstaining.

  2. withholding of a vote.

abstention British  
/ əbˈstɛnʃən /

noun

  1. a voluntary decision not to act; the act of refraining or abstaining

  2. the act of withholding one's vote

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • abstentious adjective
  • nonabstention noun
  • unabstentious adjective

Etymology

Origin of abstention

1515–25; < Late Latin abstentiōn- (stem of abstentiō ), equivalent to Latin abstent ( us ), past participle of abstinēre to abstain + -iōn- -ion

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.