intemperance
/ɪnˈtɛmpɛɹəns/
intemperance · noun — lack of moderation or temperance; excess. It carries an Arena rating of 1643, earned across 42 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, intemperance ranks #1,721 of 17,129 for Most Ponderous Words, #2,761 of 17,187 for Most Malleable Words, #4,138 of 17,176 for Most Incisive Words, #5,207 of 17,165 for Most Satisfying to Say.
intemperance is pronounced /ɪnˈtɛmpɛɹəns/.
Why “intemperance” is a great word
INTEMPERANCE — [Noun] A habitual lack of moderation or restraint, especially in the indulgence of an appetite or passion. From Middle French intempérance, from Latin intemperantia ("immoderation, excess"). Unlike "temperance," which denotes a disciplined restraint, or "debauchery," which implies a communal, sensual revelry, intemperance is the private, structural flaw—the chronic absence of a governor. It is the third bottle emptied alone, the argument escalated past all reason, and the compulsive scroll through a void of content long after the mind has gone numb; a slow, steady leakage of the self through a hole that will not be patched.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Middle French intempérance, from Latin intemperantia.
noun
- Lack of moderation or temperance; excess.
- Drunkenness or gluttony.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
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