How to Use restrained in a Sentence

restrained

adjective
  • The room was decorated with restrained colors.
  • She was admired for her restrained behavior.
  • That is enough space for a jeté or maybe a restrained arabesque.
    — Naaman Zhou, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
  • What must a restrained person do to get his or her gun or guns back?
    — John Wisely, Detroit Free Press, 22 June 2024
  • Make sure the dog is restrained and out of reach of a mail carrier.
    — Olivia Munson, The Arizona Republic, 17 June 2021
  • And there’s a solid but restrained dose of hops on the finish.
    — Marc Bona, cleveland, 9 Oct. 2022
  • The love story at the heart of the film is anything but restrained.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 13 Feb. 2026
  • This year, Williams was more restrained but still far from happy.
    — Chuck Carlton, Dallas News, 12 Mar. 2023
  • My idea had been much more restrained, much less complete a vision.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2021
  • The prose is plain, direct but restrained, and much goes unsaid.
    — Lidija Haas, Harper's magazine, 10 June 2019
  • Still, consumer prices are, so far, rising at a more restrained pace.
    — Staff and Wire Reports, oregonlive, 22 Apr. 2021
  • Most other times, with most other tracks, they were asked to be more restrained.
    — Ken Armstrong, ProPublica, 22 Nov. 2023
  • His work feels at once restrained and radical.
    — Wwd Staff, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Fruit varies widely in ales, from restrained to big and bold and smacking you in the face.
    — cleveland.com, 8 Oct. 2017
  • This was a French piece with a Swedish palette and restrained lines.
    — Christine Pittel, House Beautiful, 1 Apr. 2012
  • Putin was still the usual Putin, if a bit more restrained than usual.
    — Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 16 June 2021
  • The ballad is a duet with soft harmonies and restrained pianos.
    — Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 6 Oct. 2023
  • On the more restrained end, Chanel designed a boot covered in curly black fur.
    — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 21 Jan. 2022
  • The series is more restrained and (to its credit) moves far more quickly.
    — Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2023
  • Color still finds its way into the home, though in a restrained, thoughtful way.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 14 Apr. 2026
  • To that end, Biden has dabbled in a strange mix of restrained and hawkish rhetoric.
    — W. James Antle Iii, The Week, 17 Feb. 2022
  • At least so far, those nations have taken a more restrained approach.
    — Paul Davidson, USA Today, 16 Aug. 2025
  • Rather than subtle and restrained, the humor is slapstick and tired.
    — Holly Thomas, CNN, 19 July 2022
  • The teacher played in the other room, alone, the pieces softer, more restrained.
    — Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 24 Mar. 2018
  • For all the florid naming, the beers themselves seemed restrained, even polite, on the palate.
    — New York Times, 25 Apr. 2018
  • The stories are lovely and funny, vivid but restrained.
    — Jia Tolentino, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
  • The restrained culture of Geneva was a whole new concept to me.
    — Edy Massih, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 May 2024
  • But Shanahan is being very restrained in his use of the rookie.
    — Ann Killion, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Sep. 2021
  • Will the new brokers and wielders of power be more prudent and restrained?
    — Kapil Komireddi, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Things aren’t any more restrained inside the SUV.
    — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 4 Feb. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'restrained.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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