unrestrained
Americanadjective
-
not restrained or controlled; uncontrolled or uncontrollable.
the unrestrained birthrate in some countries.
- Synonyms:
- excessive, unbridled, unrepressed, unchecked
-
not constrained; spontaneous.
unrestrained laughter.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- unrestrainedly adverb
- unrestrainedness noun
Etymology
Origin of unrestrained
First recorded in 1580–90; un- 1 + restrained
Explanation
You know how your uncle Marvin is always screaming at the television when his game shows are on? That’s because he’s being unrestrained. Anyone exhibiting uncontrolled emotion is unrestrained, meaning they don’t hold back. Unrestrained comes from the French restreinte, which means “hold back.” When something is restrained, that thing is confined in some way. Unrestrained means just the opposite. When you’re feeling unrestrained excitement, you might jump up and down, or call all your friends to tell them how you feel. The unrestrained crush you have on the guy in math class might lead you to cover your notebooks with his name written in bubble letters. It happens to the best of us.
Vocabulary lists containing unrestrained
100 SAT Words Beginning with "U"
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The Secret Garden
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Lessons 2–3
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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.
Even if this resolution were to pass both houses of Congress, he could veto it and ultimately be unrestrained.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 14, 2026
“The unrestrained buildout of separation plants is likely to boost NdPr capacity by over 18,000 tons/annum to 42,000 tons/annum to 2030,” Ord Minnett says.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025
For some scholars, these actions appear rooted in the psychology of an unrestrained politician with an overdeveloped ego.
From Salon • Oct. 8, 2025
McAndrew had been transporting a "small white dog" to his sister's house, but the pet was unrestrained in his Kia Picanto and instead left to lie in a small bed, the court was told.
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2025
The Dutch, whose economy was based on private profit, nevertheless understood that the unrestrained pursuit of profit posed a threat to the nation’s soul.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
