self-restrained

adjective

Possessing self-restraint; holding back the expression of one's own emotions, impulses, opinions, or desires, or the performance of actions.

OriginEnglish restrained ← Middle English self- ← Old English self- →
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Meanings

adjectiveself-restrained (comparative more self-restrained, superlative most self-restrained)

comparative more self-restrained · superlative most self-restrained

  1. Possessing self-restraint; holding back the expression of one's own emotions, impulses, opinions, or desires, or the performance of actions.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*swé?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*selbʰ-
  3. Proto-Germanic*selbaz
  4. Old Englishself
  5. Old Englishself-
  6. Middle Englishself-
  7. Englishself-
  8. Englishrestrained
  9. Englishself-restrained

From self- + restrained.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek ἐγκρατής
  • ἐγκρατής (enkratḗs)possessing self-restraint
Cite this entry
APA

self-restrained. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-restrained

MLA

“self-restrained.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-restrained. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “self-restrained,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-restrained.

Source: self-restrained on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.