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
It has been a matter of self-restraint, a norm in which presidents chose not to use all the power they might legally possess.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 20, 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
As the Conservative Party's leadership contest continues, Lord Kirkhope urged officials of all political stripes "to be careful and exercise self-restraint" with language.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2024
In the light of this, The Coronation of Poppea can be seen as a damning, deliberately shocking critique on corruption and the excesses of Roman power, and the pressing need for self-restraint.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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.
