Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day: restrain; refrain.

restrain; refrain.

These words were once almost interchangeable, but have long since been distinguishable. “Restrain” (= [1] to hold [a person or thing] back from an action; or [2] to deprive of liberty) is now almost exclusively a transitive verb. Although the Oxford English Dictionary records occasional intransitive uses — in which “restrain” is construed with “to” or “from” — these are historical. And although from the late 16th century to the mid-19th century, “restrain” was occasionally used as a synonym for the intransitive “refrain” (= to hold [oneself] back), that use is now rare and ill-advised. “Refrain” always concerns oneself in the sense “to abstain” {he refrained from exchanging scurrilities with his accuser}, whereas “restrain” concerns either someone else {the police illegally restrained the complainant from going into the stadium} or oneself (reflexively) {I couldn’t restrain myself}.

In the following sentences, “refrain” would have been the better choice — e.g.:

o “Pseudo-omniscient, mouthy sports journalists who try to belittle readers with supercilious text will restrain [read 'refrain'] from speaking their all-too-correct opinions and just report.” Mac Engel, “With Start of School Come Some ‘Realistic’ Predictions,” Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Aug. 2000, at 15.

o “The demotion was harder for Chiaverini to take, but he restrained [read 'refrained'] from saying anything inflammatory after Palmer’s original comments.” Tony Grossi, “Chiaverini Down but Not Out,” Plain Dealer (Cleveland), 15 Sept. 2000, at D1.

“Refrain” is sometimes misused for “restrain,” as a reflexive verb — e.g.: “I had to refrain myself [read 'restrain myself' or 'refrain'] from snapping that I wasn’t quite ready to date.” Miriam Sagan, “How to Talk to a Widow,” Albuquerque J., 2 Mar. 1997, at 14.

Language-Change Index — (1) “restrain” misused for “refrain”: Stage 2; (2) “refrain oneself”* for “restrain oneself”: Stage 1.

*Invariably inferior forms.

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Quotation of the Day: “Nothing much that is useful will flow from our work until we start asking questions and finding answers.” Royal Bank of Canada, The Communication of Ideas 109 (rev. ed. 1972).