self-restraint
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of self-restraint
First recorded in 1765–75
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.
And I mean, it definitely has a lot of self-restraint attached to it, so who knows if I possess that as well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
Xenophon at times tries to show that the Spartans, too, abandoned self-restraint and overextended themselves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026
Despite the usual crowds of thousands, the feeling of self-restraint was more evident this year, the 30-year-old told AFP.
From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2025
In a statement, Saudi Arabia, which signed a mutual defence pact with Pakistan last month, called for self-restraint and avoidance of escalation between Islamabad and Kabul.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2025
Although I know his capacity for self-restraint in a dangerous moment is uncanny.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
