adjective / verb

teetotal

tee-TOH-tul/ˌtiːˈtəʊtl/

Abstaining completely from alcoholic drinks.

My uncle is teetotal and always chooses sparkling water.

The same man consistently chooses water and declines beer, wine, and spirits across three ordinary social occasions, making complete abstinence recognizable as a practice rather than a single refusal.

Etymology

The opening tee may be an emphatic repetition of total's first letter. Applied to 'total abstinence,' the word stressed giving up all alcoholic drinks, including beer as well as wine and spirits.

In context

BBC Scotland0:24

I decided to go and meet Katie another teetotal young person who doesn't drink but who still goes on nights out with people who do drink

Being Teetotal | Scary Adult Things | BBC Scotland

More examples

We stock alcohol-free drinks for our teetotal guests.
She teetotals for health reasons and never orders alcohol.
He's been teetotal since college, even at family celebrations.

Forms

teetotal · teetotals · teetotaled · teetotaling

teetotaler noun — A person who completely abstains from alcohol.

teetotalism noun — The practice of completely abstaining from alcohol.

Similar words

abstinent: Abstinent can describe avoiding alcohol, sex, or other activities.
sober: Sober often means not currently intoxicated, rather than never drinking.