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Definition of "intemperance" []

  • Lack of temperance, as in the indulgence of an appetite or a passion. (noun)
  • Excessive use of alcoholic beverages. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "intemperance" in a sentence
  • "_On the contrary, _ The Philosopher says (Ethic. iii, 12) that "we apply the term intemperance* to childish faults.""
  • "The word intemperance is generally employed as applying to the abuse of strong drinks."
  • "Incontinence is a term applied only by analogy in the case of the latter; its proper concern -- as with the moral vice, which we call intemperance -- is with the former."