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
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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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As the oldest form of art, storytelling has existed since the very beginning of time across culture, and at the crux of many creative disciplines.—
Nia Shumake,
Essence,
12 June 2025
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Finally, the two teachers are accused of assault, battery and negligent discipline, according to the lawsuit.—
Samara Gerstle,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 June 2025
Noun
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The country's nuclear program was subject to extensive restrictions in exchange for sanctions relief as part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached in 2015 under then-U.S. President Barack Obama, but the deal was abandoned by President Donald Trump in 2018.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 June 2025
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The change in minimum lot size could be coupled with parking requirements or other restrictions to manage the increase in density.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 June 2025
Noun
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For example, a person with strong justice, accountability, courage, drive, and integrity will need strength in dimensions such as temperance, humility, and humanity to exercise the necessary judgment, avoiding self-righteousness and dogmatism.—
Mary Crossan,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
-
Europe’s temperance movement One trend where Asahi expects Europeans to follow Japan is in a movement towards temperance.—
BYRyan Hogg,
Fortune Europe,
1 Oct. 2024
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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The dating of ancient manuscripts is an extremely difficult problem, with sparse data and heavy constraints on access and expertise.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
7 June 2025
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The launch date is dependent on spacecraft traffic to the ISS and in-orbit activity planning and constraints that have to be coordinated with NASA.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 June 2025
Noun
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Shortly after Toxic Town started production, Thorne and his partners brought Qureshi and her team another four-part drama that would hit the nerve of even more everyday people.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
11 June 2025
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The deployments have touched a raw nerve in California, where Democratic leaders say Trump is overstepping his constitutional authority in pursuit of political spectacle.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
11 June 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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The limitations, and dangers, of AGI To be sure, these are still predictions about what AGI may be capable of in the future.—
Harry Law,
Time,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Restraint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/restraint. Accessed 18 Jun. 2025.
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