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chastity

chastity

35 8.1
A state in which a person does not have sex, often for religious or moral reasons
  • noun
  • /ˈtʃæs.tɪ.ti/
translation icon : castidad
  • The evangelical movement stressed the importance of morality, particularly chastity, piety, and charity for others.
  • female chastity
  • chastity belt
  • chastity before marriage

He says those who live in chastity have an angelic way of life on earth.

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Examples

  • I am sworn to chastity!

  • Put off, I say, lewdness and impurity; put on the bright robe of chastity.

    Academic text (1991)
  • My parents held onto the code like it was the key to the chastity belt.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • Chastity is a path to enlightenment.

  • He says those who live in chastity have an angelic way of life on earth.

  • Nor did she intend to inflict on her daughters the chastity that her father had enforced.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Syrian women were presented as paragons of honor, chastity, and modesty.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Will you be able to observe the rule and the way of living it dictates... and take the three vows of obedience, poverty and chastity?

  • The moon methinks looks with a watery eye; and when she weeps, weeps every little flower, lamenting some enforced chastity.

  • Many religious individuals practice chastity as a way to honor their beliefs.

Synonyms

abstinence
vschastity
  • NSFW
63 6.4

Choosing not to do things like drinking alcohol or having sex

is specific to sexual avoidance for moral or religious reasons
celibacy
vschastity
46 6.8

Not having sex often for religious or personal reasons

is a moral quality or practice rather than an enforced lifelong state
virtue
vschastity
  • Archaic
23 4.4

Sexual purity that some people expect for moral reasons

is specifically the practice or quality of avoiding sexual activity
purity
vschastity
  • Formal
18 3.3

The state of not having had sex, often used about women

is the practice of not engaging in sexual acts rather than mere innocence
continence
vschastity
  • NSFW
1 9.9

A person chooses not to have sex to show self-control

is about complete avoidance rather than occasional self-control
sexual abstention
vschastity
7.1

Choosing not to have sex for religious, moral, or personal reasons

is a broader lasting moral quality rather than only a temporary practice
continency
vschastity
  • NSFW
9.9

Choosing not to have sex or to limit sexual activity

is focused on not engaging at all rather than moderated restraint

Antonyms

18 7.9

Having many different sexual partners without a steady relationship

2 9.9

A lack of moral control over sexual behavior

How Chaste

celibacy
46 6.8
chastity
35 8.1
modesty
15 3.8
immodesty
  • NSFW
1 8.0
sexual activity
  • NSFW
31 3.0
promiscuity
  • NSFW
18 7.9

Surface Forms

chastity singular
chastities plural

Morphology

chastity = chaste (transparent) = chaste + ity

Formed by the regular adjective-to-noun suffix '-ity' meaning 'the state or quality of being chaste', so the meaning follows directly from 'chaste'.

Etymology

Chastity comes from the Latin word castus, meaning 'pure', and it shares the same root as the English word chaste. So chastity is the idea of keeping sexual behavior 'pure' and often means not having sexual activity for moral or religious reasons.