BRIDLE Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'bridle' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of bridle are check , curb , and restrain . While all these words mean "to hold back from or control in doing something," bridle implies keeping under control by subduing or holding in. // bridle an impulse to throw the book down

Q: Where would 'check' be a reasonable alternative to 'bridle'?

The meanings of check and bridle largely overlap; however, check implies restraining or impeding a progress, activity, or impetus. // trying to check government spending

Q: When could 'curb' be used to replace 'bridle'?

Although the words curb and bridle have much in common, curb suggests an abrupt or drastic checking. // learn to curb your appetite

Q: When would 'restrain' be a good substitute for 'bridle'?

The words restrain and bridle are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, restrain suggests holding back by force or persuasion from acting or from going to extremes. // restrained themselves from laughing

bridle

verb

Definition of bridle next

as in to control

to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression) try to bridle your criticism next time so that it is helpful and not hurtful

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How does the verb bridle contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of bridle are check, curb, and restrain. While all these words mean "to hold back from or control in doing something," bridle implies keeping under control by subduing or holding in.

bridle an impulse to throw the book down

Where would check be a reasonable alternative to bridle?

The meanings of check and bridle largely overlap; however, check implies restraining or impeding a progress, activity, or impetus.

trying to check government spending

When could curb be used to replace bridle?

Although the words curb and bridle have much in common, curb suggests an abrupt or drastic checking.

learn to curb your appetite

When would restrain be a good substitute for bridle?

The words restrain and bridle are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, restrain suggests holding back by force or persuasion from acting or from going to extremes.

restrained themselves from laughing

Examples 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 bridle In a workplace, they’re expected to be helpmeets while also being held up as tokens of acceptance, a dynamic the characters bridle against and use to their advantage. —

Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 5 June 2024 But at least one key lawmaker bridled at campaign donations the president made for this month’s GOP primary. —

Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 28 May 2024 The organizers handily won their NLRB vote in September but the newly unionized workers soon bridled against delays in negotiating their first contract. —

Katie Kilkenny, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024 Few Western leaders seemed to worry that non-Western states might bridle at their norms or perceive the international distribution of power as an unjust remnant of the colonial past. —

Comfort Ero, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bridle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bridle

Verb

Time in fiction works in a similar way—except that in books, the writer alone controls the organizational system, measuring out time through sentences, paragraphs, and chapters, and moving it in service to the plot.

Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2024
Somewhere along the way, our iPhones and Android devices became our command centers, capable of summoning rides, controlling our homes, and delivering a world of goods to our doorsteps.

Dean DeBiase, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024