as in restraint
the power to control one's actions, impulses, or emotions
a man of extraordinary self-containment, he refused to lose his temper even in the most trying of circumstances
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Recent Examples of self-containment
Stability starts with self-containment.
—
Usa Today, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
What sets Return apart is its perfect self-containment.
—Brad Shoup, Pitchfork, 24 Jan. 2026
And for people who equate maturity with self-containment, that can feel threatening.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Throughout the crisis, her burgeoning friendship with the hostage’s wife, challenges Barb’s usual sense of propriety and self-containment.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2025
Cregger maintains the film’s self-containment.
—Andy Crump, Time, 9 Aug. 2025
Usa Today, USA Today, 25 Mar. 2026
What sets Return apart is its perfect self-containment.
—Brad Shoup, Pitchfork, 24 Jan. 2026
And for people who equate maturity with self-containment, that can feel threatening.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Throughout the crisis, her burgeoning friendship with the hostage’s wife, challenges Barb’s usual sense of propriety and self-containment.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2025
Cregger maintains the film’s self-containment.
—Andy Crump, Time, 9 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-containment
restraint
Noun
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The department is currently investigating more than two dozen facilities and says, while most providers recognize the need for regulation, some don't think the laws around restraint and seclusion should apply to them.—
Shaun Boyd,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
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The volunteer, named Jacki and played with warm restraint by Tessa Thompson, has been slowly developing a friendship with Yarris, a mercurial but undeniably charismatic character played by Adrien Brody, your go-to actor for any slight man with a loping, unsteady energy.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Self-containment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-containment. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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