restrained
/ɹɪˈstɹeɪnd/adjective, verb
restrained is spelled R-E-S-T-R-A-I-N-E-D: 10 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, restrained means “Held back, limited, kept in check or under control” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in restrained?
| Letters | 10: R-E-S-T-R-A-I-N-E-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.8 times per million words; the 16,228th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is restrained?
Restrained appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce restrained?
- /ɹɪˈstɹeɪnd/
Restrained has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-restrained.ogg, En-gb-restrained.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of restrained
- more restrained comparative
- most restrained superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does restrained mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Held back, limited, kept in check or under control.
He greeted her for the first time in three years with a restrained embrace.
- 2
obsoleteProscribed, restricted.
verb
- 1
simple past and past participle of restrain
He was restrained by the straight jacket.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Restrained in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense held back, limited, kept in check or under control:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | beherrscht, maßvoll |
| Spanish | reprimido |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.