restraint
Americannoun
-
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
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constraint or reserve in feelings, behavior, etc.
noun
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the ability to control or moderate one's impulses, passions, etc
to show restraint
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the act of restraining or the state of being restrained
-
something that restrains; restriction
Other Word Forms
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.
By mid-2021, as vaccinations encouraged Americans to venture out after a year of pandemic restraint, prices rose at a pace not seen in decades.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
Full of sorrow and restraint, the opening verses are entombed by muffled synths before Liene explodes into an operatic wail of catharsis in the dying moments.
From BBC • May 8, 2026
"No adversary should mistake our current restraint with a lack of resolve."
From Barron's • May 5, 2026
CNN’s Brian Stelter, who wrote a book documenting the president’s war on journalism in meticulous detail, praised the president for his restraint.
From Salon • Apr. 29, 2026
From his courses at Northwestern and elsewhere, and from studying the legendary acting coaches like Constantin Stanislavski, he knows the principles of restraint and control.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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.
