1
as in discipline
the checking of one's true feelings and impulses when dealing with others
it will take a great deal of restraint to keep from telling her how ugly that dress is
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in restriction
something that limits one's freedom of action or choice
civil libertarians contend that the new laws place too many restraints on our constitutionally guaranteed rights
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in temperance
the power to control one's actions, impulses, or emotions
he shows very little restraint or tact when expressing his opinions about others
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of restraint
While San Diego police banned the carotid restraint, the lawsuit alleges the department did not take steps to address the risks of holding people facedown.
—
City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2025
Communities United Against Police Brutality still gets hotline complaints about law enforcement using neck restraints, the group says.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 25 May 2025
After George Floyd was killed in 2020, many police departments across the country banned or restricted the knee-on-neck restraint.
—Rose Evans, Idaho Statesman, 27 May 2025
Rickson stages both plays with elegant restraint, arranging just a few bits of furniture in front of a bare brick wall.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for restraint
City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 May 2025
Communities United Against Police Brutality still gets hotline complaints about law enforcement using neck restraints, the group says.
—Mara H. Gottfried, Twin Cities, 25 May 2025
After George Floyd was killed in 2020, many police departments across the country banned or restricted the knee-on-neck restraint.
—Rose Evans, Idaho Statesman, 27 May 2025
Rickson stages both plays with elegant restraint, arranging just a few bits of furniture in front of a bare brick wall.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for restraint
Recent Examples of Synonyms for restraint
Noun
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Such defensive discipline and intelligent street-smarts have meant that Inzaghi’s side have trailed for just 16 minutes across the whole Champions League campaign — just one per cent of their total time on the pitch.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
31 May 2025
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Currently, the Academy is composed of 19 branches, each representing a specific discipline within the industry, with the newest Production and Technology Branch created in 2023, and the split of the animation feature and shorts in 2024.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
30 May 2025
Noun
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At the center of the disagreement is Max, a six-year-old German Shepherd who’s been staying with her boyfriend’s parents due to previous apartment restrictions.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
1 June 2025
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Following Trump’s Friday morning accusations, a Bloomberg report around lunchtime about Trump administration plans to broaden restrictions on Chinese tech companies took the market a leg lower.—
Matthew J. Belvedere,
CNBC,
31 May 2025
Noun
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By the 1820s and 1830s, temperance groups sprang up all across Arkansas and the General Assembly passed several laws and regulations to curb its sale.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 May 2025
-
This memoir is a record of a life spent prioritizing adventure over prudence, indulgence over temperance.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
15 May 2025
Noun
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This victory is an unexpected and powerful blow to the machinery of repression in the Islamic Republic.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
25 May 2025
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Both movements emerged from similar circumstances and serve as reactions to censorship, repression, and the ideological constraints of the Islamic Republic.—
Ali Farahmand,
IndieWire,
23 May 2025
Noun
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But there’s only so much that educators and parents can achieve by working together if city and state leaders are not willing to face hard problems and revenue constraints.—
Milly Arciniegas,
Hartford Courant,
27 May 2025
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In 2023, a study published in the Journal of Transport & Health found people who are able to travel freely outside their local area reported experiencing better health compared to those who faced constraints.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 May 2025
Noun
-
But this time around, Alix didn’t even have time to let the nerves kick in.—
Jordana Comiter,
People.com,
28 May 2025
-
Botox works by blocking nerve signals to the muscles.—
Sarah Jividen,
Verywell Health,
27 May 2025
Noun
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Practices like meditation or simply taking a moment to pause before switching tasks, help strengthen networks connected to the prefrontal cortex—the region that is notably involved in planning, inhibition and sustained attention.—
Lauryn Higgins,
Flow Space,
27 May 2025
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This allows hurricanes to form and sustain longer without inhibition or limiting.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
22 May 2025
Noun
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But its biggest shortcoming is its range limitations, i.e., geofencing (see this map).—
Brooke Crothers,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
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Still, Pichai presented a vision of AI that was at once optimistic about the technology’s possibilities and sober-minded about some of its present limitations.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Restraint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/restraint. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
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