had been refraining

• past perfect progressive

  past perfect progressive

  Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.

  of refrain.
  refrain

  verb (used without object)

  to abstain from an impulse to say or do something (often followed byfrom ).

Related Words

• abstain
• avoid
• cease
• curb
• desist
• forgo
• halt
• renounce
• resist
• restrain