abstemious
marked by moderation, especially in food and drink
Word origin: From Latin abstemius (abs- from plus temetum strong drink).
Abstemious in a sentence
Here are example sentences showing abstemious in a sentence.
Her abstemious diet consisted of little more than vegetables and water.
The visiting scholar was famously abstemious, declining the banquet's rich courses in favor of bread and water.
Quick GRE check
3 questions, about 2 minutes. How would you do on the real test?
Verbal · Text Completion
Although the senator's memoir was marketed as a frank reckoning with his failures, reviewers found it relentlessly blank, dwelling on grievances and recasting every setback as the fault of his adversaries.
Using “abstemious” well
Abstemious specifically describes restraint in consuming food and drink, narrower than the broader temperate or moderate. It implies deliberate self-restraint rather than mere lack of appetite.
More GRE words starting with A
to lower in rank, dignity, or self-respect
to make someone feel embarrassed or ashamed
to lessen in intensity or amount
to formally give up power or responsibility
departing from what is normal or expected
a departure from what is normal, usual, or expected
a state of temporary suspension or inactivity
to regard with strong disgust or hatred
Questions about “abstemious”
See these words the way the GRE tests them.
Take the free 39-minute GRE Quick Mock Test and meet words like this inside real Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence questions, with a worked solution for every answer.