restraint
Americannoun
-
restraints
plural
-
a restraining action or influence.
freedom from restraint.
-
Sometimes restraints. a means of or device for restraining, as a harness for the body.
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the act of restraining, holding back, controlling, or checking.
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the state or fact of being restrained; deprivation of liberty; confinement.
- Synonyms:
- incarceration, imprisonment, restriction, circumscription
- Antonyms:
- liberty
-
constraint or reserve in feelings, behavior, etc.
noun
-
the ability to control or moderate one's impulses, passions, etc
to show restraint
-
the act of restraining or the state of being restrained
-
something that restrains; restriction
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of restraint
1350–1400; Middle English restreinte < Middle French restrainte, noun use of feminine past participle of restraindre to restrain
Explanation
Restraint is the act of holding something back. For example, if you exercise restraint over your emotions, you won't burst out into tears in public. As you may have guessed from its similar spelling, the word restraint comes from the verb restrain, which in turn comes from the Latin word restringere, meaning "draw back tightly, confine, check." When talking about an object, a restraint is a device used to maintain control of something. For example, if your leg is operated on, the doctors will use a restraint to hold it still.
Vocabulary lists containing restraint
Theodore Roosevelt on "New Nationalism" (1910)
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Excerpts from "Jacobson v. Massachusetts"
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 4
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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.
See Examples For:
What is it about tailoring itself that continues to fascinate you, and do you see pleasure in the discipline and restraint of a perfectly constructed garment?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
With that restraint reduced, the neurons became more active.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
The US Department of State called for "restraint" and "dialogue" on all sides ahead of a diplomatic meeting about the conflict in Egypt on Sunday with leaders from some of Ethiopia's neighbours.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
The African Union, based in Ethiopia, said it was "following with concern the heightened tensions between Ethiopia, Eritrea and Egypt", urging "maximum restraint".
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Lelia taught him not to bite through it: a good lesson in restraint.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
“Certainly, the trajectory has been in the direction of more restraints on press access than less,” Rottman added.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026
He then mocked one of the main topics of this year’s General Assembly—an effort to put restraints on artificial intelligence, which Trump said should be called superintelligence, because the word artificial makes it sound “fake.”
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
Both have player drafts, salary caps, free-agency rules and other restraints that would be suspicious in ordinary markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Dr Amy Grubb, associate professor of forensic psychology at the University, said posting comments online creates the "perfect storm" for abuse as the "digital environments reduce normal social restraints".
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
Down in the square, more wolves broke free of their bone restraints.
From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan
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.
