restrained
Americanadjective
adjective
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(of a person or person's manner) calm and unemotional
-
(of clothes, décor, etc) subtle and tasteful
Other Word Forms
- nonrestrained adjective
- restrainedly adverb
Etymology
Origin of restrained
Explanation
Use the adjective restrained to describe something that's kept under control, such as strong emotion or even physical movement. If you're angry but you don't want it to show, you might speak in a restrained manner. Restrained can describe someone or something that is physically immobilized or held back. For example, an angry crowd might have to be restrained by riot police. Or it can mean a different kind of holding back and describe something that is understated and discreet. Actresses who walk the red carpet often avoid attention-getting gowns in favor of more restrained outfits in times of war or national crisis.
Vocabulary lists containing restrained
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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100 Top "SAT" Words
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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Softness in the labor market comes against a backdrop of heightened uncertainty for Canadian employers and restrained hiring intentions, as the recent oil-price shock compounds concerns about trade policy and U.S. tariffs.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
“They are accustomed to flexibility, immediacy, and platform ubiquity. By those standards, the Masters has often appeared restrained, even stubbornly so.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
Appeal judges have reduced the damages previously awarded to a former pupil who said he was repeatedly restrained at a private residential special school.
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026
“Her heart was pierced because of what she would see,” Wille said, in what struck me as a moment of restrained insight.
From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026
I felt sorely urged to weep; but conscious how unseasonable such a manifestation would be, I restrained it.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
