Abstain — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

refrain from voting

choose not to consume

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/kænˈɑːɹɹi/

🇬🇧British English

/bɹˈɔːdbɹɪm/

🇮🇳Indian English

/bɹˈɔːdbɹɪm/

2 syllables Say it as /kænˈɑːɹɹi/.

Examples

I abstain from alcohol

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

desist refrain

Antonyms

consume

Parts of Speech

verb	refrain from voting
verb	choose not to consume “I abstain from alcohol”

Word Forms

abstinent	adjective	self-restraining; not indulging an appetite especially for food or drink
abstention	noun	the trait of abstaining (especially from alcohol)
abstinent	noun	a person who refrains from drinking intoxicating beverages
abstainer	noun	a person who refrains from drinking intoxicating beverages
abstinence	noun	the trait of abstaining (especially from alcohol)

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

verzichten

von der Stimmabgabe absehen

🇫🇷French

abstention

s'abstenir de voter

🇪🇸Spanish

abstenerse

abstenerse de votar

🇮🇹Italian

astenersi

astenersi dal votare

🇳🇱Dutch

zich onthouden

zich onthouden van stemmen

🇵🇹Portuguese

abster-se

abster-se de votar

🇷🇺Russian

воздерживаться

воздержаться от голосования

India

🇮🇳Hindi

बचना

वोट देने से बचें

🇧🇩Bengali

বিরত থাকা

ভোট দেওয়া থেকে বিরত থাকুন

🇮🇳Tamil

தவிர்க்கவும்

வாக்களிப்பதைத் தவிர்க்கவும்

🇮🇳Telugu

దూరంగా ఉండండి

ఓటు వేయడం మానుకోండి

🇮🇳Marathi

टाळा

मतदान करणे टाळा

🇮🇳Gujarati

દૂર રહેવું

મતદાન કરવાથી બચો

🇮🇳Kannada

ದೂರವಿರಿ

ಮತದಾನದಿಂದ ದೂರವಿರಿ

🇮🇳Malayalam

വിട്ടുനിൽക്കുക

വോട്ട് ചെയ്യുന്നതിൽ നിന്ന് വിട്ടുനിൽക്കുക

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਪਰਹੇਜ਼

ਵੋਟ ਪਾਉਣ ਤੋਂ ਪਰਹੇਜ਼ ਕਰੋ

🇵🇰Urdu

پرہیز

ووٹ دینے سے گریز کریں

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

弃权

避免投票

🇯🇵Japanese

棄権する

投票を控える

🇰🇷Korean

기권하다

투표를 자제하다

🇻🇳Vietnamese

kiêng

kiềm chế bỏ phiếu

🇹🇭Thai

งดเว้น

งดการลงคะแนนเสียง

🇮🇩Indonesian

menjauhkan diri

menahan diri untuk tidak memilih

🇵🇭Filipino

umiwas

umiwas sa pagboto

🇲🇾Malay

berpantang

menahan diri daripada mengundi

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

امتنع عن التصويت

الامتناع عن التصويت

🇮🇷Persian

خودداری کنند

از رای دادن خودداری کنید

🇹🇷Turkish

çekimser kalmak

oy vermekten kaçınmak

🇮🇱Hebrew

לְהִתְנַזֵר

להימנע מהצבעה

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'abstain'?

The primary meaning of 'abstain' is 'refrain from voting'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'abstain' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'abstain' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'abstain' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'abstain' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'abstain' in your daily reading?

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Do you find 'abstain' easy to spell?

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In your opinion, does the word 'abstain' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

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Neutral

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Which age group is most likely to use 'abstain' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

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How likely are you to use 'abstain' in a professional email?

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Would you classify 'abstain' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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