self-restraint

noun

self-re·​straint ˌself-ri-ˈstrānt 

: restraint exercised over one's own impulses, emotions, or desires : self-control

A bitter answer leaped to his tongue, but he was learning self-restraint.

—Somerset Maugham

Synonyms

• continence
• restraint
• self-command
• self-containment
• self-control
• self-discipline
• self-government
• self-mastery
• self-possession
• will
• willpower

Examples of self-restraint in a Sentence

she demonstrated an almost unnatural self-restraint during the fight

we must practice self-restraint even with people who are deliberately rude

Recent Examples on the Web

Besieged by stress, people are often poorly trained in self-restraint. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 25 Apr. 2025

Stormi went viral for the same candy game when Jenner tested her self-restraint at 2 years old in a video posted on her social media in May 2020. —Escher Walcott, People.com, 21 Apr. 2025

Voters can, however, favor those who pursue self-restraint. —John Nemec, The Conversation, 7 Apr. 2025

Without meaningful regulation or self-restraint by AI firms, the arms race between data-hungry bots and those attempting to defend open source infrastructure seems likely to escalate further, potentially deepening the crisis for the digital ecosystem that underpins the modern Internet. —Ars Technica, 25 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for self-restraint

• acquaint
• complaint
• constraint
• distraint
• enceinte
• repaint
• restraint
• faint
• feint
• maint
• paint
• plaint

Kids Definition

self-restraint

noun

self-re·​straint

ˌsel-fri-ˈstrānt

: proper control over one's actions or emotions