What does abstaining mean?
Abstaining is the act of deliberately choosing not to do, consume, or participate in something — most commonly food, alcohol, sexual activity, or a vote. It is the continuous form of the verb 'abstain', derived from the Latin abstinēre, meaning 'to hold back' or 'to keep from'. The word carries connotations of self-discipline, willpower, and principled restraint: someone who is abstaining has made a conscious decision to forgo something they could otherwise have. It appears frequently in health and lifestyle contexts (abstaining from sugar or alcohol), in religious observance such as fasting, and in politics, where abstaining from a vote signals neutrality or unwillingness to endorse either side without blocking the process outright. Unlike mere refusal, abstaining suggests a sustained practice rather than a single moment of denial, which makes it a useful word for describing ongoing commitments to moderation or abstinence.
verb (present participle and gerund of 'abstain')The act of deliberately choosing not to do, consume, or take part in something, especially from self-restraint or principle; the continuous form of the verb 'abstain'.
- To hold oneself back from consuming or doing something (food, drink, activity), typically by choice or discipline.
- To decline to vote or take a side in a formal decision.
- To voluntarily refrain from something one is entitled to do, as an act of restraint or protest.
"She has been abstaining from alcohol since the start of the year."
"After his doctor's warning, he began abstaining from red meat entirely."
"Three council members chose to abstain rather than back either proposal, leaving the vote deadlocked."
In many parliaments, 'abstaining' is the closest thing to a legal way of saying 'I refuse to choose' — the vote counts toward quorum but not toward either side.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of abstaining
Abstaining comes from the verb 'abstain', which entered English in the late Middle Ages (around the 15th century) from Old French 'abstenir', itself from Latin 'abstinēre', meaning 'to hold back' or 'to keep from'. The Latin root combines 'abs-' ('away from') with 'tenēre' ('to hold'), so the underlying image is literally 'holding oneself away from' something. Cognates sharing this Latin ancestry include 'abstinence', 'abstinent', and 'abstemious', all of which preserve the sense of restraint or self-denial.
Related word forms
How abstaining is actually used
Formal to neutral register; common in medical, religious, political, and lifestyle contexts. In parliamentary language, an abstention is distinct from both a yes and a no vote — it is recorded but does not count for either side. Often used in the progressive form ('has been abstaining') to describe an ongoing practice.
Easily confused with abstaining
'Abstaining' is the ongoing act of holding back from something, while 'abstinence' is the noun denoting the practice or state of self-denial itself.
'Refraining' emphasizes simply not doing something, often momentarily, whereas 'abstaining' implies a deliberate, sustained decision to forgo it, usually on moral, health, or practical grounds.