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.

Although the budget documents note the potential for gains from SpaceX, Anthropic and OpenAI, each of which have a significant labor force in the state, the government refrained from estimating the impact.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

Instead, there was virtual silence from Trump, who refrained from commenting on his Truth Social platform that he normally posts on multiple times a day, and from the White House.

From Barron's • May 14, 2026

In the wake of the immigration raids last summer, many of their potential patrons refrained from hosting celebrations, dampening their business.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

He refrained from putting numbers on how many Senedd members the party might win.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

When once you were in the grip of the Party, what you felt or did not feel, what you did or refrained from doing, made literally no difference.

From "1984" by George Orwell