refrained

VERB

do without; keep from doing

Synonyms

STRONGEST

abstain avoid cease curb desist forgo halt renounce resist restrain

STRONG

arrest check eschew forbear inhibit interrupt keep pass quit stop withhold

WEAK

be temperate give up go on the wagon leave off not do pass up sit out take the cure take the pledge

Antonyms

STRONGEST

carry on continue indulge keep on use

STRONG

aid allow assist encourage help let go release

WEAK

do go ahead jump in

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

refrained

While Kennedy has refrained from commenting on the current court or President Trump, he has written a memoir that tells his life story and explains the reasoning behind the major decisions of his era.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

Laura Ingraham and Jesse Watters chose not to preview or promote the speech in the two prime hours leading up to it, and Ingraham refrained from mentioning it on her Friday, Monday and Tuesday broadcasts.

From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026

Central banks refrained from aggressive tightening cycles amid economic growth, a trend which Matejka and his team do not see changing dramatically.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026

But Ueda on Wednesday refrained from giving any hints on the timing of the bank’s next move.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026

We called for one of our number who had refrained from the dissection—Dr. John Trefusis—to attend the youth and ensure that he did not lay a hand of violence upon himself or any other.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson