restraint

American  

[ri-streynt] / rɪˈstreɪnt /

noun

1. a restraining action or influence.

   freedom from restraint.

2. Sometimes restraints. a means of or device for restraining, as a harness for the body.

3. the act of restraining, holding back, controlling, or checking.

4. the state or fact of being restrained; restrained; deprivation of liberty; confinement.

   Synonyms:

   incarceration, imprisonment, restriction, circumscription

   Antonyms:

   liberty

5. constraint or reserve in feelings, behavior, etc.

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restraint British  

/ rɪˈstreɪnt /

noun

1. the ability to control or moderate one's impulses, passions, etc

   to show restraint

2. the act of restraining or the state of being restrained

3. something that restrains; restriction

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Other Word Forms

• overrestraint noun
• prerestraint noun

Etymology

Origin of restraint

1350–1400; Middle English restreinte < Middle French restrainte, noun use of feminine past participle of restraindre to restrain

Example Sentences

Demand is fed now by “diversification away from a system where fiscal discipline and geopolitical restraint feels optional and monetary credibility is constantly being tested,” Skoyles said.

From MarketWatch

His restraint came from his belief that the people closest to a problem were best suited to solve it.

From The Wall Street Journal

That means embracing institutional neutrality—or restraint, as we call it at Dartmouth—on issues that don’t directly affect our mission or core functions.

From The Wall Street Journal

"I think that this simultaneously signals a messaging of potential restraint and capacity for escalation," he told AFP.

From Barron's

Out of necessity, they learned how to cook with restraint while still providing warmth; survival, not indulgence.

From Salon

Related Words

• ban
• constraint
• curb
• embargo
• limit
• prohibition
• reduction
• restriction