intemperance

IPA/ɪnˈtempərəns/
IPA/ɪnˈtempərəns/

intemperance — noun

1. the habit of drinking far more alcohol than is wise or healthy, especially as a

1.nounC2
Definition

the habit of drinking far more alcohol than is wise or healthy, especially as a long-running pattern.

Example

The pastor warned his congregation against intemperance and other vices of the age.

abstract noun in a formal moral context

After years of intemperance, Christopher's liver finally gave out at age fifty.

after + years of + intemperance — long-term pattern

Common collocations
  • habitual intemperance
  • warn against intemperance
  • ruined by intemperance
Synonyms
  • drunkenness

    more direct and informal; names the state rather than the long pattern

  • alcoholism

    modern clinical term; treats heavy drinking as a disease

  • inebriety

    rare and archaic; mostly appears in nineteenth-century medical writing

Antonyms
  • temperance

    the direct opposite — abstaining from or moderating alcohol

  • sobriety

    the state of not drinking; narrower than temperance

Usage Note

Frequently appears in religious, legal, and historical writing rather than everyday speech. Distinguish from sense 2 (general lack of self-control): this sense is specifically about alcohol.

Common Mistakes

He showed intemperance by drinking one beer.
He showed intemperance by drinking nightly to excess for years.
the word implies a sustained habit, not a single occasion.

2. a habit of giving in to physical desires or strong feelings without checking the

2.nounC2
Definition

a habit of giving in to physical desires or strong feelings without checking them, especially for food, pleasure, or appetite of any kind.

Example

Aristotle treated intemperance as a serious flaw of character, ranking it alongside cowardice and greed.

treat X as Y — formal evaluation frame

Aarav's coach blamed his poor finish on weeks of dietary intemperance before the race.

dietary intemperance — modifier + noun pattern

Common collocations
  • dietary intemperance
  • habitual intemperance
  • intemperance in food
Synonyms
  • self-indulgence

    more neutral and modern; doesn't imply moral judgement as strongly

  • immoderation

    very formal; close synonym but rarer

  • excess

    broader and more common; often plural ('committed many excesses')

Antonyms

Usage Note

Often paired with a domain modifier (`dietary intemperance`, `spending intemperance`) or the preposition `in` (`intemperance in pleasure`). Distinguish from sense 1: this sense covers any appetite, not only alcohol.

Common Mistakes

She had a moment of intemperance.
Years of intemperance had weakened her health.
the word names a settled habit, not a single lapse.

3. an outburst of anger, harsh language, or violence that is too strong for the sit

3.nounC2
Definition

an outburst of anger, harsh language, or violence that is too strong for the situation and clearly out of the speaker's control.

Example

Élise apologised the next morning for the intemperance of her remarks at dinner.

intemperance of one's remarks — formal apology phrasing

The newspaper criticised the senator's intemperance during the televised debate.

criticise + intemperance — public commentary frame

Common collocations
  • intemperance of language
  • verbal intemperance
  • show intemperance
Synonyms
  • outburst

    names a single event rather than a quality; more common

  • vehemence

    stresses force and intensity, more neutral about whether it's excessive

  • ill temper

    everyday phrase; less formal and less severe

Antonyms
  • composure

    calm self-control of feeling and expression

  • restraint

    deliberate holding back of strong feeling

Usage Note

Subject is usually a person, and the anger is treated as a noticeable lapse rather than ordinary annoyance. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is specifically about angry or violent speech and behaviour, not appetite.

Common Mistakes

He felt slight intemperance at the news.
He showed real intemperance, shouting and slamming the door.
the word names visible, excessive anger, not mild irritation.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All four words name a failure to keep appetites in check, but their reach and tone differ. `Excess` is the most common and the most neutral — it names too much of something without strong moral colour and often appears in the plural (`youthful excesses`). `Self-indulgence` is everyday English and lightly disapproving; it suggests treating yourself to comforts you should resist. `Immoderation` is rare and very formal, more or less a synonym of `intemperance` but without its tradition of moral and religious use. `Intemperance` itself sounds old-fashioned and serious; it implies a settled habit and a moral judgement, not a single slip. Compare: `she enjoyed the small excesses of holiday eating` (neutral, occasional) versus `his intemperance ruined his health` (severe, habitual).

intemperance ↗excess ↗self-indulgenceimmoderation ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • habit of intemperance
  • years of intemperance

Phrases

  • warn against intemperance
  • ruined by intemperance

Prepositions

  • in (intemperance in food/pleasure/speech)

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle English

Built from Latin `in-` 'not' plus `temperantia` 'self-control, moderation', itself from `temperare` 'to mix in the right measure, to moderate'. The word entered English through Old French in the late fourteenth century, first in the broad moral sense of any lack of restraint. The narrower meaning of habitual drunkenness rose during the nineteenth-century temperance movement, when groups campaigning against alcohol made it their headline word for the problem they opposed.