Temperance means moderation and self-control, especially in desires, habits, and pleasures like food, drink, or anger.

Core meaning

  • In general English, temperance is moderation in actions, thoughts, and feelings, especially avoiding excess in appetites or passions.
  • Many dictionaries also highlight temperance as choosing to drink little or no alcohol, or full abstinence, especially in older or formal usage.

As a virtue

  • In philosophy and religion, temperance is one of the classic moral virtues: the habit of governing desires so they stay within reasonable, healthy limits.
  • It is linked with traits like self‑regulation, modesty, calmness, and balance, and is seen as a way to prevent harm from overindulgence or uncontrolled emotion.

Historical and social sense

  • In the 19th and early 20th centuries, “temperance” often referred to organized movements pushing for reduced alcohol consumption or total abstinence.
  • These “temperance movements” influenced laws and cultural attitudes toward drinking in many countries, especially in the English‑speaking world.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.