1
as in restraint
the power to control one's actions, impulses, or emotions
toddlers have very little self-control
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in discipline
the checking of one's true feelings and impulses when dealing with others
she could be passionate and intense, but generally exercised steely self-control in the company of strangers
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of self-control
Research shows that insufficient sleep disrupts hunger signals, weakens self-control, impairs glucose metabolism and increases your risk of weight gain.
—
Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, The Conversation, 16 June 2025
At many crucial moments (including in Lucy and Harry’s first few dates), this stillness is established with the natural cool of self-control and professionalism and then veers into an astonishing near-sculptural artifice.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 13 June 2025
Research even suggests that delaying goal failure, rather than giving in immediately when you’re tempted to engage in a behavior that defeats your goals, helps maintain a positive self-perception of self-control.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
The mega-rich like Musk don’t exactly have a huge degree of self-awareness or self-control.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-control
Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, The Conversation, 16 June 2025
At many crucial moments (including in Lucy and Harry’s first few dates), this stillness is established with the natural cool of self-control and professionalism and then veers into an astonishing near-sculptural artifice.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 13 June 2025
Research even suggests that delaying goal failure, rather than giving in immediately when you’re tempted to engage in a behavior that defeats your goals, helps maintain a positive self-perception of self-control.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
The mega-rich like Musk don’t exactly have a huge degree of self-awareness or self-control.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for self-control
Recent Examples of Synonyms for self-control
Noun
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At its core, Wimbledon is a British brand built on restraint: the all-white dress code, the absence of in-your-face, on-court branding, the strawberries and cream.—
Jeetendr Sehdev,
Forbes.com,
13 July 2025
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Critics say Trump has only become more dangerous, pursuing radical ideas without restraint.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
11 July 2025
Noun
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But the promise of fiscal discipline has become a straightjacket.—
Oliver Eagleton,
Time,
5 July 2025
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Prior to Vida, the Fort Wayne native studied culinary disciplines including butchery at Ivy Tech's Fort Wayne and Indianapolis campuses.—
Bradley Hohulin,
IndyStar,
4 July 2025
Noun
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Before the month comes to a close, Mercury will station retrograde in Leo, activating your 12th house of secrets, surrender and your subconscious, bringing up old memories or inhibitions that have been clouding your clarity.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
8 July 2025
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Reservations and inhibitions have a way of slipping away in the Snake Pit.—
Shari Rudavsky,
IndyStar,
2 July 2025
Noun
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Mac's deeply closeted, Catholic-guilty homosexuality had been treated as a joke throughout the show's run, with the joke never truly being about Mac being gay, but about how his desperate repression had twisted him into a caricature of grasping masculinity.—
Dennis Perkins,
EW.com,
10 July 2025
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The costs of academic repression, in other words, are not confined to elite institutions—they are borne by everyone.—
Matt Motta,
Scientific American,
10 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Self-control.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/self-control. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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