restraint

noun

ri-ˈstrānt How to pronounce restraint (audio)
Definition of restraintnext
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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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

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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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of restraint Two of the men who resisted boarding the plane were kept in full-body restraint suits resembling straitjackets for much of the flight, according to witnesses. — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026 Israel, meanwhile, fears that restraint today would only create a stronger Iran tomorrow. — Ali Vaez, Foreign Affairs, 29 Sep. 2026 The audience files in quietly, takes their seats, and applauds with almost formal restraint when Olivia and William emerge. — Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 28 Sep. 2026 The stock market remains buoyant; the labor market is robust; most financial conditions indicators continue to show little restraint, either in lending or borrowing. — Steve Liesman,matt Peterson, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for restraint
Recent Examples of Synonyms for restraint
  1. discipline
  2. restriction
  3. temperance
  4. repression
  5. constraint
  6. nerve
  7. inhibition
  8. limitation
Noun
  • At the event, 20 experts from a variety of disciplines crowded into a room in a Fort Lauderdale hotel and tried to address the growing concern of rising carbon-dioxide levels in the atmosphere.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The academies hire civilian faculty to offer expertise in topics and disciplines that military officers don’t study as part of their careers, such as English and the humanities.
    — Annie Ma, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of discipline
Noun
  • Furthermore, loosening these restrictions risks igniting new supply friction.
    — , CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
  • There have been numerous efforts to control campaign spending and the content of political ads, but like water running downhill, politicians manage to get around restrictions.
    — Cal Thomas, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of restriction
Noun
  • As the temperance movement grew, the Besley Brewery attempted to change with the times, but was later sold around 1912.
    — Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Over his shoulder was an enormous portrait of the hatchet-wielding temperance crusader Carrie Nation, an icon of resistance to the excesses of the first Gilded Age, when similar discontent had roiled the prairies.
    — Kyle Paoletta, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of temperance
Noun
  • International experts have denounced President Faustin-Archange Touadera’s repression of the opposition and push to eliminate term limits as worrisome turns toward autocracy.
    — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Students were recorded chanting against the morality police and political repression.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of repression
Noun
  • Many have been feeling the squeeze as costs for inputs like diesel, fertilizer and seed have soared thanks to refinery constraints and supply disruptions amid the Iran war.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • In California, municipal utilities face constraints in raising rates under Proposition 218, a ballot initiative passed in 1996 that says fees must reflect the costs of providing service.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of constraint
Noun
  • Jeong-yo, who can no longer play the piano due to nerve damage from when he was shot, wants to work with Pi-o.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
  • His particular cancer also surrounds his pulmonary artery, which contains a nerve connected directly to the vocal cords.
    — Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of nerve
Noun
  • Many visual motifs emerge, most notably the men in the crowd who shed any inhibitions to cry, dance, and belt the songs at the top of their lungs.
    — Marshall Shaffer, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026
  • As art and its creators have shed their inhibitions in this post-Sadean world, politicians and cultural commentators have reliably lined up to condemn this total freedom of expression as being dangerous to society.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of inhibition
Noun
  • But their newfound popularity also brought new attention to their limitations — several studies have shown that pulse oximeters overestimate blood oxygen levels when used on darker skin tones.
    — Anil Oza, STAT, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Since the players sued in 2024, the claim was filed well after the applicable limitations period expired.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of limitation

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Cite this Entry

“Restraint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/restraint. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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