Synonyms of willpower

willpower

noun

ˈwil-ˌpau̇(-ə)r 

as in restraint

the power to control one's actions, impulses, or emotions

trying to summon the willpower to resist buying any more books before finishing the unread ones I already have

Synonyms & Similar Words

• restraint
• self-control
• determination
• nerve
• self-discipline
• will
• temperance
• composure
• self-restraint
• self-mastery
• discipline
• confidence
• temperateness
• self-command
• self-government
• self-possession
• continence
• self-containment
• moderation
• assurance
• mastery
• abnegation
• self-denial
• control
• abstention
• self-confidence
• self-abnegation
• avoidance
• abstinence
• sobriety
• forbearance
• moderateness
• soberness
• poise
• equanimity
• coolness
• command
• discretion
• aplomb
• eschewal

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• indulgence
• gratification
• overindulgence
• weakness
• intemperance
• failing
• excessiveness
• vice
• feebleness
• self-indulgence
• fault
• shortcoming
• frailty
• demerit
• foible
• intemperateness
• indiscipline
• immoderacy
• unrestraint
• unconstraint
• unreserve
• unreservedness

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of willpower

Weight gain is not a failure of willpower, it is driven by biology. —Tara Comonte, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2026

This is a feel-mostly-good story, but how useful is Hunter’s experiment for those of us who don’t have anything except our own willpower standing between us and the algorithms? —Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026

People are busy, and for too many, time is the real constraint, not awareness or willpower. —Dan Amos, Time, 4 Feb. 2026

To keep yourself safe, remember that the purpose of contrast therapy is to elicit a specific physiological response, not test your willpower. —Caroline Tien, SELF, 3 Feb. 2026