1
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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2
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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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Example 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
  • This level of enrichment is just a technical step away from reaching the 90% purity required for nuclear weapons.
    Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Apr. 2025
  • Finally, a set proportion of these materials that are of the right quality and purity will be used to make batteries that will go in new electric Porsches.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 5 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • In East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Poland, ministries dictated curricula, Marxism-Leninism became mandatory across disciplines, and admissions were reengineered to favor students from loyalist backgrounds.
    Iveta Silova, The Conversation, 9 Apr. 2025
  • Ritchey sees the fantastic as the foil to the Germanic Bildungsroman, which influenced continental Romantic arts across disciplines.
    Angelica Frey, JSTOR Daily, 9 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The chance that American attacks on Houthis could prompt attacks on Saudi Arabia and a renewal of the kingdom’s brutal war in Yemen was a chief concern of the Biden administration, a prime reason that White House operated with a degree of restraint in its strikes on Houthi targets.
    New York Times, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025
  • Sullivan, 56, was charged with first-degree unlawful restraint, cruelty to persons and first-degree reckless endangerment.
    Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Supporters aligned with the temperance movement used Weston’s walks to advance their agenda—since Weston was a teetotaler, sponsors and cheerleaders trumpeted his feats as evidence that sobriety was healthy.
    The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 Mar. 2025
  • For instance, trust will be eroded when a person demonstrates a lack of temperance, which manifests as being agitated, impatient, inattentive, rash, and anxious instead of being composed, patient, prudent, self-controlled, and calm.
    Mary Crossan, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • But Cole is resolute in his pre-marital celibacy.
    Big Think, Big Think, 26 Mar. 2025
  • Andrew Tate when a detective brings up the potential role of the involuntary celibacy subculture.
    Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Documenting Jenna’s bold art and activism, this film offers a powerful, intimate look at resilience under repression.
    Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 15 Apr. 2025
  • At the heart of his writing is the idea of providing a deeper and more nuanced understanding of a country that lost a quarter of its population in less than a decade — one that goes beyond the images of humanitarian emergencies, crime, repression and economic collapse.
    Roxsy Lin, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 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
  • Iran's parliament has passed a new chastity law to be implemented next week, further tightening already strict dressing restrictions, according to reports.
    Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Read More: 8 Things to Say During a Fight With Your Partner Swearing seems to help people shed their social inhibitions, according to Stephens, one of the study’s authors.
    Stacey Colino, Time, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Those raising awareness of the Arabic Facebook posts feel no such inhibition.
    Ben Sales, Sun Sentinel, 24 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Continence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/continence. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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