1. (a.) Done sparingly; moderate; as, an abstemious diet\.

2. (a.) Sparing in diet; refraining from a free use of food and strong drinks; temperate; abstinent; sparing in the indulgence of the appetite or passions.

3. (a.) Sparingly used; used with temperance or moderation; as, an abstemious diet.

4. (a.) Marked by, or spent in, abstinence; as, an abstemious life.

5. (a.) Promotive of abstemiousness.

Apostolic Encratic Lenten Pythagorean Rechabite Shaker Spartan Stoic abstentious abstinent ascetic austere celibate chaste continent dwarfed dwarfish exiguous frugal fruitarian impoverished jejune lean limited meager mean miserly narrow nephalistic on the wagon paltry parsimonious poor puny scant scanty scrawny scrimp scrimpy self-abnegating self-denying sexually abstinent skimp skimpy slender slight slim small sober spar spare sparing starvation stingy stinted straitened stunted subsistence sworn off teetotal temperate thin unnourishing unnutritious vegetarian watered watery