BRIDLE Synonyms: 51 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'bridle' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of bridle are check , curb , and restrain . While all these words mean "to hold back from or control in doing something," bridle implies keeping under control by subduing or holding in. // bridle an impulse to throw the book down

Q: Where would 'check' be a reasonable alternative to 'bridle'?

The meanings of check and bridle largely overlap; however, check implies restraining or impeding a progress, activity, or impetus. // trying to check government spending

Q: When could 'curb' be used to replace 'bridle'?

Although the words curb and bridle have much in common, curb suggests an abrupt or drastic checking. // learn to curb your appetite

Q: When would 'restrain' be a good substitute for 'bridle'?

The words restrain and bridle are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, restrain suggests holding back by force or persuasion from acting or from going to extremes. // restrained themselves from laughing

bridle

verb

Definition of bridle

as in to control

to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression) try to bridle your criticism next time so that it is helpful and not hurtful

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How does the verb bridle contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of bridle are check, curb, and restrain. While all these words mean "to hold back from or control in doing something," bridle implies keeping under control by subduing or holding in.

bridle an impulse to throw the book down

Where would check be a reasonable alternative to bridle?

The meanings of check and bridle largely overlap; however, check implies restraining or impeding a progress, activity, or impetus.

trying to check government spending

When could curb be used to replace bridle?

Although the words curb and bridle have much in common, curb suggests an abrupt or drastic checking.

learn to curb your appetite

When would restrain be a good substitute for bridle?

The words restrain and bridle are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, restrain suggests holding back by force or persuasion from acting or from going to extremes.

restrained themselves from laughing

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bridle Gilliam sometimes bridled at the number of voices in the room. — Jack Lang, New York Times, 3 June 2026 For long stretches, she was denied access to books and bridled against the monotony and regulation of institutional life. — Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2026 That gave it the ability to raise its own funds, and freedom from the narrow interests of lawmakers, who would bridle at any attempts to move jobs out of their districts. — Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025 Weaker firms may bridle at the costs of compliance; some will go out of business. — James K. Galbraith, Foreign Affairs, 14 Jan. 2019 See All Example Sentences for bridle

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bridle

Verb

During an operation, a surgeon controls robotic arms fitted with small instruments while viewing the surgical area through a three-dimensional vision system.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
Japanese doctors have advised patients reporting rashes or difficulty controlling bowels after frequent use to stop until symptoms clear, per the AP.

— Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of control

Verb

Former President Jimmy Carter in 1977 proposed a legislative plan to curb rising hospital costs.

— Stephanie Armour, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026
Flock last week set out a new set of guardrails intended to curb abuse of its system, including advocating for a seven-day data retention policy for its customers.

— Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of curb

Verb

Appropriately so, given the placid recent range and the clockwork mechanics of sector rotation and low-correlation restraining index-level volatility.

— Michael Santoli, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026
This was the context for Justice Brewer’s remarks about Philip sober restraining Philip drunk.

— Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of restrain

Verb

The filing says a witness reported seeing a gray GMC Denali towing a box trailer containing people, including children.

— Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
Hugging Face’s, meanwhile, is a few pages shorter but contains specific lines of code and evidence from its systems about what happened.

— Emily Forlini, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of contain

Verb

In a rebuttal argument, prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo pointed to a scrapbook Davis kept containing articles about Shakur.

— Jonathan Landrum Jr, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
Details of the contract have been mostly kept secret, as both companies said the agreement contained confidential business information.

— Sydney Sasser, Arkansas Online, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of keep

Verb

The minimum safe thickness is a threshold that measures a tank’s ability to contain the pressure of the liquid and support the tank’s weight, the report said.

— ABC News, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
These supernovas were used as a kind of cosmological measuring stick to uncover a mysterious force called dark energy that was causing the universe to expand — a discovery that earned the Nobel Prize in 2011.

— Joe Palca, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of measure

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“Bridle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bridle. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of bridle

verb

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