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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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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

Examples 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
  • The red surrounding this mandala’s central deity is a Buddhist symbol of purity, but also a reminder that purity starts with the flesh and blood that everybody gets for free.
    Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2025
  • Reddit users say the community establishes protocols for third-party lab testing of peptides to verify their purity and promotes safe mixing and dosing practices.
    Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 24 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • However, her lifelong dedication to dance and cheer tells a story less about luck and more about the discipline, ambition and heart famously needed to become a Cowboys Cheerleader.
    Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025
  • Arteta’s standards of discipline outweighed Aubameyang’s goalscoring.
    Phil Hay, The Athletic, 7 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Nelson’s approach is using limited development timelines not just to save money, but to challenge his team to work within artistic restraints as a way to hone their skills, resulting in more the experimental fare Strange Scaffold has become famous for.
    Hayes Madsen, Rolling Stone, 11 Jan. 2025
  • At the time, there was a common belief in Germany that military restraint had finally made their country a stable and prosperous one, following two devastating wars.
    Sylvia Taschka, The Conversation, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • But, according to temperance advocates, that paled in comparison to the danger posed by pregnant white women who drank.
    Elizabeth Marshall / Made by History, TIME, 23 Oct. 2024
  • Research reveals that the character dimension of temperance (being patient, calm, composed, self-controlled and prudent) is chronically underdeveloped, weakening the foundation of other character strengths like drive and accountability.
    Mary Crossan, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Key Survey Findings: 43% of Black Gen Z daters are practicing celibacy.
    Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 12 Sep. 2024
  • Friedman's refreshingly honest answers about her own celibacy challenge the conventional notions of fulfillment and happiness.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The artistry of Sing Sing is undeniable, contrasting the physical and emotional freedom of theater against the confinement and repression of prison.
    Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Human rights groups have described it as Venezuela’s most brutal campaign of repression in recent decades.
    Genevieve Glatsky, New York Times, 7 Jan. 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
  • The disagreement surfaced in April 2023 after Olson accused their Reverend Mother Teresa Agnes Gerlach of breaking her chastity vows by having an online love affair with Father Philip Johnson, a former priest from the diocese in Raleigh, N.C., per Chron.
    Charna Flam, People.com, 4 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Two of them were responsible for overexpression in the cellular differentiation process, while one was responsible for inhibition.
    Michael Franco, New Atlas, 26 Dec. 2024
  • Carbonic anhydrase inhibition ameliorates tau toxicity via enhanced tau secretion.
    Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near continence

Cite this Entry

“Continence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/continence. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.

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