restraint
Americannoun
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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
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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.
While Beene and Balenciaga received praise for their restraint and elegance, the lesser-known London-born designer Walter Holmes created controversy with his “mini-medievals” in 1968.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
Cosm used some restraint here, keeping us guessing as to which framed pictures may seek to speak or nod our way.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026
In a social media post on Sunday, the spokesman for the Iranian parliament's national security commission warned Washington: "Our restraint is over as of today."
From Barron's • May 11, 2026
Without naming India directly, Pakistan's corps commanders recently stressed the need for "restraint and avoidance of escalation", saying regional stability depends on "collective restraint, responsibility and respect for sovereignty".
From BBC • May 7, 2026
The overriding honesty and intimacy of the correspondence with Rush permitted this projection to express itself without restraint.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
