rə̇ˈstrānt, rēˈs- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French restrainte, from feminine of restraint, past participle of restraindre to restrain — more at restrain
1.
a. : an act of restraining, hindering, checking, or holding back from some activity or expression
to act upon his own choice and judgment free from restraints … imposed by the arbitrary will of other human beings — John Dewey
b. : a means, force, or agency that restrains, checks free activity, or otherwise controls
if a woman has no inclination to do what is wrong, being secured from it is no restraint to her — James Boswell
the restraints of an academic habit — Irwin Edman
c. : the condition of being restrained, checked, or controlled : deprivation of liberty : confinement
absolute liberty is absence of restraint — Henry Adams
facilities for the accommodation and restraint of so large a number of frenzied patients — V.G.Heiser
2. : a check on free commercial or business activity : embargo
production being hindered by governmental restraints
3. : a check or control over free, easy, or unruly expression : constraint : reserved expression avoiding extravagance or excess : stiffness and lack of easy naturalness and liveliness
a restraint which kept them mutually silent on the subject — Jane Austen
so much restraint of feeling, so much impersonality, so much coldness — Manny Farber
designed with … restraint without overemphasis of decoration — American Guide Series: Delaware
Synonyms: see force