restrained

a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.

a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.

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verb (used with object)

to hold back from action; keep in check or under control; repress: to restrain one's temper.

to deprive of liberty, as by arrest or the like.

to limit or hamper the activity, growth, or effect of: to restrain trade with Cuba.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English restreynen < Middle French restreindre < Latin restringere to bind back, bind fast, equivalent to re- re- + stringere to draw together; see strain¹

Related forms

re·strain·a·ble, adjective

re·strain·a·bil·i·ty, noun

re·strain·ing·ly, adverb

o·ver·re·strain, verb (used with object)

pre·re·strain, verb (used with object)

un·re·strain·a·ble, adjective

Can be confused: 1. refrain, restrain ; 2. re-strain, restrain.

Synonyms
1. bridle, suppress, constrain. See check¹. 2. restrict, circumscribe, confine, hinder, hamper.

Antonyms
1. unbridle. 2. free, liberate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To restrained

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World English Dictionary

restrain (rɪˈstreɪn)

—vb
1.	to hold (someone) back from some action, esp by force
2.	to deprive (someone) of liberty, as by imprisonment
3.	to limit or restrict

[C14 restreyne, from Old French restreindre, from Latin rēstringere to draw back tightly, from re- + stringere to draw, bind; see strain¹]

re'strainable

—*adj*

restrained (rɪˈstreɪnd)

—*adj*
1.	(of a person or person's manner) calm and unemotional
2.	(of clothes, décor, etc) subtle and tasteful

restrainedly

—*adv*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

restrain

mid-14c., from stem of O.Fr. restraindre, from L. restringere "draw back tightly, confine, check" (see restriction).

Example sentences

Those who study other planetary systems have been more restrained.

His hands were not restrained, but he kept them behind his back anyway.

Because he is flailing about, his wrists and ankles have been restrained.

The idea that pay should be restrained ultimately rests on a flawed logic.

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Matching Quote

"A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It's a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity."

-Jimmy Carter