RESTRAIN Synonyms: 98 Similar and Opposite Words

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

Some common synonyms of restrain are bridle , check , and curb . While all these words mean "to hold back from or control in doing something," restrain suggests holding back by force or persuasion from acting or from going to extremes. // restrained themselves from laughing

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

The words bridle and restrain can be used in similar contexts, but bridle implies keeping under control by subduing or holding in. // bridle an impulse to throw the book down

Q: When can 'check' be used instead of 'restrain'?

The words check and restrain are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, check implies restraining or impeding a progress, activity, or impetus. // trying to check government spending

Q: Where would 'curb' be a reasonable alternative to 'restrain'?

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

restrain

verb

ri-ˈstrān

Definition of restrain next

as in to regulate

to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression) the victim's family members were unable to restrain their emotions upon hearing the verdict

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to arrest

to take or keep under one's control by authority of law the suspect was restrained and taken to an undisclosed location

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb restrain contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of restrain are bridle, check, and curb. While all these words mean "to hold back from or control in doing something," restrain suggests holding back by force or persuasion from acting or from going to extremes.

restrained themselves from laughing

When could bridle be used to replace restrain?

The words bridle and restrain can be used in similar contexts, but bridle implies keeping under control by subduing or holding in.

bridle an impulse to throw the book down

When can check be used instead of restrain?

The words check and restrain are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, check implies restraining or impeding a progress, activity, or impetus.

trying to check government spending

Where would curb be a reasonable alternative to restrain?

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

learn to curb your appetite

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 restrain Even compared with a show like Reservation Dogs, which drew intense emotional catharsis out of intimate moments, Somebody Somewhere remained restrained, precisely because Sam doesn’t have the deep communal connections that would allow her sister’s death to resonate throughout the story as broadly. —

Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2024 Just a year after Proposition 13’s passage in 1978, California voters approved the Gann spending limit which, like Prop. 13, sought to restrain the size and growth of government. —

Jon Coupal, Orange County Register, 8 Dec. 2024 Two Indianapolis police officers charged in the death of a man who was stunned and restrained on the ground during a mental health crisis were acquitted Friday of manslaughter, officials said. —

Phil Helsel, NBC News, 7 Dec. 2024 Only one autopsy in Palm Beach County noted that the man died while being restrained. —

Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 13 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for restrain

Recent Examples of Synonyms for restrain

Verb

The findings of the latest study lend support to the argument that the therapeutic properties of LE may have been based on the potential for regulating the gut microbiome.

Newsweek, Newsweek, 21 Dec. 2024
Unlike medications, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate supplements.

Devineé Lingo, M.S., Health, 21 Dec. 2024