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Temperance

n. calm, thoughtful formal

What it means

Deliberate moderation in appetite, behavior, or expression.

Reach for it when praising self-restraint that keeps a good thing from becoming excessive

Temperance helped the chair celebrate the win without humiliating the losing side.

Words to choose between 8

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom. Tap a word to see when it fits.
everyday
warm
professional
formal
literary

  • everyday

    moderation

    Fits when avoiding excess is the plain central idea

    Careful Moderation can describe an amount or policy without involving personal self-command.

  • everyday

    self-control

    Fits when managing emotion or behavior under pressure matters

    Careful Self-control is broader and may involve an all-or-nothing prohibition.

  • warm

    discipline

    Fits when repeated control serves a chosen goal

    Careful Discipline emphasizes rules and effort rather than balance.

  • professional

    restraint

    Fits when measured expression or design deserves praise

    Careful Momentary restraint falls short of temperance as a general virtue.

  • professional

    self-restraint

    Fits when resisting an immediate impulse is the achievement

    Careful Self-restraint can sound like suppression, while temperance suggests a settled balanced habit.

  • formal

    abstinence

    Fits when complete avoidance of a substance or activity is intended

    Careful Temperance means moderation in many contexts, so abstinence can seriously overstate it.

  • formal

    sobriety

    Fits when freedom from intoxication or seriousness of manner is central

    Careful Sobriety is narrower and may introduce alcohol where no such issue exists.

  • literary

    continence

    Fits when historical or philosophical writing calls for strict self-command

    Careful Continence is archaic and often carries sexual or bodily associations.

Opposites 3

Common phrases 3

  • practice temperance

    The festival asked vendors to practice temperance in both noise and lighting.

  • virtue of temperance

    The virtue of temperance shaped her response to sudden authority.

  • temperance and prudence

    Temperance and prudence kept the emergency budget focused on immediate needs.

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Naomi Persephone Amethyst, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated