1
as in purity
abstention from sexual intercourse argued for a pregnancy-prevention program that did not put so much faith in the continence of teenagers

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2
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4
as in temperance
voluntary restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites a gambling mecca that has a reputation for being the sort of place where caution and continence are thrown to the wind

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of continence This includes the five major types: stress incontinence, urge incontinence, mixed incontinence, overflow incontinence, and functional continence. Jamin Brahmbhatt, Verywell Health, 29 July 2024 Good posture helps maintain continence, support pelvic organs, and reduce back pain. Staci Tanouye, Parents, 29 Aug. 2023 Profligate spending under George W. Bush forever made laughable any Republican assertion of fiscal continence. Christopher Buckley, Washington Post, 5 Aug. 2022 Any chance Sally or Ed has anxiety, digestive or continence issues, hearing loss …? Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2023 Aging in the modern era is about slow unstoppable loss - of hearing, of memory, of mobility, of continence, of dignity. Kyle Munkittrick, Discover Magazine, 9 Sep. 2011 To maintain continence, the puborectalis muscle chokes the anal canal. Cara Schacter, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2022 But even with the delayed start, most healthy, neurotypical kids achieve at least daytime continence by age three. Leah Campbell, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2021 Share prices have soared for large Danish health companies such as Coloplast — a major player in the market for colostomy pouches, continence and skin and wound care treatments — and Genmab, a biotech company specializing in cancer treatments. Matt Phillips, New York Times, 7 Aug. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for continence
Noun
  • This level of enrichment is just a technical step away from reaching the 90% purity required for nuclear weapons.
    Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Finally, a set proportion of these materials that are of the right quality and purity will be used to make batteries that will go in new electric Porsches.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 5 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • In 2016, a study published in the International Journal of Educational Management found that school uniforms encourage better listening and discipline in the classroom.
    Raja Krishnamoorthi, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Apr. 2025
  • My business colleagues, clients, veteran brothers and sisters, Masonic brothers and an assortment of consultants bring varying degrees of wisdom, camaraderie, discipline and expertise.
    James DiNardo, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The holding was manifestly correct, but the dicta may be equally important in counseling greater restraint on both sides.
    Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Apr. 2025
  • After three consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final from 2020-22, the combination of age and salary-cap restraints had diminished the Tampa Bay roster.
    John Romano, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Supporters aligned with the temperance movement used Weston’s walks to advance their agenda—since Weston was a teetotaler, sponsors and cheerleaders trumpeted his feats as evidence that sobriety was healthy.
    The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 Mar. 2025
  • For instance, trust will be eroded when a person demonstrates a lack of temperance, which manifests as being agitated, impatient, inattentive, rash, and anxious instead of being composed, patient, prudent, self-controlled, and calm.
    Mary Crossan, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • In the medieval church, women’s roles were limited – usually some form of enclosure and celibacy, such as becoming an anchoress walled up alone for life, or a nun in a classic convent.
    Joelle Rollo-Koster, The Conversation, 25 Feb. 2025
  • But Cole is resolute in his pre-marital celibacy.
    Big Think, Big Think, 26 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Documenting Jenna’s bold art and activism, this film offers a powerful, intimate look at resilience under repression.
    Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2025
  • It has been used to punish mutinies and desertion in armies, as frontier justice in America's Old West and as a tool of terror and political repression in the former Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Related Stories Robin Williams, who apparently has taken a vow of comic chastity since winning his Good Will Hunting Oscar, plays the robot who wants to be a man.
    Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Dec. 2024
  • Iran's parliament has passed a new chastity law to be implemented next week, further tightening already strict dressing restrictions, according to reports.
    Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Read More: 8 Things to Say During a Fight With Your Partner Swearing seems to help people shed their social inhibitions, according to Stephens, one of the study’s authors.
    Stacey Colino, Time, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Those raising awareness of the Arabic Facebook posts feel no such inhibition.
    Ben Sales, Sun Sentinel, 24 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Continence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/continence. Accessed 25 Apr. 2025.

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