teetotalism

IPA/ˌtiːˈtəʊtəlɪzəm/
IPA/ˌtiːˈtəʊtəlɪzəm/

teetotalism — noun

1. a personal rule or lifestyle in which someone chooses to drink no alcoholic drin

1.nounC1
Definition

a personal rule or lifestyle in which someone chooses to drink no alcoholic drinks at any time, rather than drinking sometimes or in moderation

Example

Mr. Ito's teetotalism grew from watching alcohol addiction destroy his older brother's career and marriage.

possessive + family-history motivation

Teetotalism has grown sharply among students at Thammasat University, where nearly a third now avoid alcohol entirely.

specific university + rising trend

Common collocations
  • practice teetotalism
  • embrace teetotalism
  • adopt teetotalism
  • commit to teetotalism
  • preach teetotalism
Synonyms
  • abstinence

    broader term; can mean avoiding alcohol temporarily or avoiding other things (drugs, sex)

  • sobriety

    focuses on the state of being not drunk; often used in recovery contexts

  • temperance

    historical term from the 19th-century movement; originally meant moderation, later associated with total abstinence

Antonyms
  • alcoholism

    compulsive pattern of drinking; the opposite in practice

  • heavy drinking

    frequent or excessive alcohol consumption

Usage Note

An uncountable noun used mainly in formal or written English. Often combines with verbs such as practice, embrace, adopt, or preach. Teetotalism describes a long-term principle or lifestyle, not a temporary decision — for short-term avoidance, use abstinence instead.

Common Mistakes

The government introduced teetotalism in the 1920s.
The government introduced prohibition in the 1920s.
Teetotalism is a personal choice or principle; a government-enforced ban is prohibition.
His doctor recommended teetotalism for the next two weeks.
His doctor recommended abstinence from alcohol for the next two weeks.
Teetotalism implies a permanent lifestyle, not a short-term medical instruction.

Word family

  • teetotal
    adjectiveC1
  • teetotaler
    nounC1
  • teetotaller
    nounC1
  • teetotally
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Abstinence, sobriety, temperance, and teetotalism all relate to avoiding alcohol, but they differ in scope and formality. Teetotalism specifically means never drinking alcohol at all, as a personal principle or lifestyle. Abstinence is broader — it can mean avoiding alcohol temporarily (e.g., 'the patient was advised abstinence for two weeks') or abstaining from other things like drugs or specific foods. Sobriety focuses on the state of being not drunk; it is commonly used in the context of recovery from alcohol addiction ('she celebrated ten years of sobriety'). Temperance historically meant moderation in all things, but during the 19th-century movement it became associated with the goal of stopping alcohol consumption entirely. For example: 'His teetotalism was a quiet personal choice,' but 'Marco's sobriety was part of a recovery journey he shared openly.'

abstinence ↗sobriety ↗temperance ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a life of teetotalism
  • a commitment to teetotalism
  • a pledge of teetotalism

Etymology

English (19th-century coinage)

Teetotalism is formed from the adjective teetotal plus the noun-forming suffix -ism. The word teetotal emerged in 1830s England during the temperance movement and is widely attributed to Richard Turner of Preston, who in a speech urging total abstinence from alcohol stammered the initial T for emphasis, saying 't-t-total abstinence.' The reduplicated tee- served to intensify the word total. The suffix -ism turns the concept into a noun denoting a practice or principle.

First known use

1834

1834, in the meaning defined above