TEMPERANCE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does temperance mean? 

• TEMPERANCE (noun)
  The noun TEMPERANCE has 3 senses:

1. the trait of avoiding excesses

2. abstaining from excess

3. the act of tempering

  Familiarity information: TEMPERANCE used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• TEMPERANCE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The trait of avoiding excesses

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Synonyms:

moderation; temperance

Hypernyms ("temperance" is a kind of...):

natural virtue ((scholasticism) one of the four virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance) derived from nature)

control; restraint (discipline in personal and social activities)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "temperance"):

dryness; sobriety (moderation in or abstinence from alcohol or other drugs)

abstemiousness (moderation in eating and drinking)

Antonym:

intemperance (the quality of being intemperate)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Abstaining from excess

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

sobriety; temperance

Hypernyms ("temperance" is a kind of...):

abstinence (act or practice of refraining from indulging an appetite)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The act of tempering

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("temperance" is a kind of...):

combination; combining; compounding (the act of combining things to form a new whole)

Derivation:

temper (harden by reheating and cooling in oil)

temper (bring to a desired consistency, texture, or hardness by a process of gradually heating and cooling)

 Context examples 

In choosing persons for all employments, they have more regard to good morals than to great abilities; for, since government is necessary to mankind, they believe, that the common size of human understanding is fitted to some station or other; and that Providence never intended to make the management of public affairs a mystery to be comprehended only by a few persons of sublime genius, of which there seldom are three born in an age: but they suppose truth, justice, temperance, and the like, to be in every man’s power; the practice of which virtues, assisted by experience and a good intention, would qualify any man for the service of his country, except where a course of study is required.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

Temperance, industry, exercise, and cleanliness, are the lessons equally enjoined to the young ones of both sexes: and my master thought it monstrous in us, to give the females a different kind of education from the males, except in some articles of domestic management; whereby, as he truly observed, one half of our natives were good for nothing but bringing children into the world; and to trust the care of our children to such useless animals, he said, was yet a greater instance of brutality.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

But, instead of proposals for conquering that magnanimous nation, I rather wish they were in a capacity, or disposition, to send a sufficient number of their inhabitants for civilizing Europe, by teaching us the first principles of honour, justice, truth, temperance, public spirit, fortitude, chastity, friendship, benevolence, and fidelity.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)