Reserve abstemious for someone who exercises restraint, especially with regard to alcohol. A rock musician may sing about enjoying wine and women, but in his private life he may be abstemious.

You might get the idea that abstemious is a relative of abstain with a change of consonant, but in fact the two words only share the abs- prefix, meaning "away." The -temious bit in this adjective is from Latin temetum, "intoxicating drink," so it came to refer to someone who keeps alcohol (or other temptations) at arm's length. This word has the vowels a, e, i, o and u in alphabetical order; the adverb abstemiously adds the y!

Definitions of abstemious

adj marked by temperance in indulgence

abstemious with the use of adverbs”
not extreme in behavior

adj sparing in consumption of especially food and drink

“"the pleasures of the table, never of much consequence to one naturally abstemious"- John Galsworthy”
abstentious, abstinent
ascetic, ascetical, austere, spartan
practicing great self-denial
nonindulgent, strict
characterized by strictness, severity, or restraint
given to excess in consumption of especially food or drink
given to gross intemperance in eating or drinking
crapulent, crapulous
suffering from excessive eating or drinking
devouring or craving food in great quantities
wanting to eat or drink more than one can reasonably consume
hoggish, piggish, piggy, porcine, swinish
resembling swine; coarsely gluttonous or greedy
overgreedy, too-greedy
excessively gluttonous
characterized by or given to yielding to the wishes of someone
show more antonyms...

Sign up, it's free!
