abstention

CEFRC2

/əbˈstɛn.ʃn̩/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    The act of choosing not to vote or take part.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    The act of restraining oneself.

Examples

  • There were two votes in favor of the measure, two against, and one abstention.

  • There wasn't a single abstention.

At a glance

Sits at C2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1

Also pronounced

  • /æbˈstɛn.t͡ʃn̩/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. The act of abstaining or refraining (from).

  2. The act of declining to vote on a particular issue.

  3. Non-participation in the political world; as a country avoiding international affairs.

More examples

In context

  • There were five abstentions in the vote.

  • abstention from alcohol

  • abstention from sex

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

His blank from voting surprised the committee members who expected a decision.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

First attested in 1521. Borrowed from French abstention, from Late Latin abstēntiō from Latin abstinēō (“withhold, to abstain”)