Self-control

//ˌsɛlf kənˈtɹoʊl// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The ability to control one's desires and impulses. uncountable, usually

    "Near-synonym: willpower"

  2. 2
    the act of denying yourself; controlling your impulses wordnet
  3. 3
    the trait of resolutely controlling your own behavior wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To control oneself or itself. intransitive, transitive

Synonyms

All synonyms
self-commandself-disciplinewillpowerabnegationabstinenceacceptance

Example

More examples

"He prided himself on his self-control."

Etymology

From self- + control.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.