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

And with the addiction treatment centers that accept Medicaid patients overbooked, Pugh has had to rely on willpower to avoid drinking. — Katheryn Houghton, NPR, 4 Aug. 2026

Acting on a risk assessment before that risk has materialized requires political willpower; just having better data, or even better analyses, doesn’t wholly solve that problem. — Karryl Kim Sagun Trajano, Fortune, 2 Aug. 2026

Know When to Scale Back Hot-weather exercise isn’t a test of willpower. — Jakob Roze, Health, 28 July 2026

Forget cookies or ice cream—put me within arm’s reach of a bag of salty, fried, starchy goodness and all my willpower disappears. — Kinsey Gidick, Travel + Leisure, 27 July 2026