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

Planning for potential conflict—not to mention decision-making in the heat of a crisis—will be more challenging if Canberra, Tokyo, and Seoul question American intent or self-restraint. —Michael Green, Foreign Affairs, 19 Nov. 2024

Does a teenager really operate such that a six-game suspension prospect as against a one-game suspension prospect (the NCS policy) tips the scale in his psyche in favor of exercising self-restraint? —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2024

For once, the candidate exhibited real self-restraint by not mentioning the film. —Tom Brueggemann, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2024

Countries will exercise self-restraint, accepting normative constraints to protect their greater interests. —Tanisha M. Fazal, Foreign Affairs, 18 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1656, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

self-restraint

noun

self-re·​straint

ˌsel-fri-ˈstrānt

: proper control over one's actions or emotions