Synonyms & related words for refrain

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of refrain — including abstain, forbear, desist, chorus, repetend, cease. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to refrain

Explore words related to refrain — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include refrainment, repeating, choric, ingeminate, cantillate, symploce, singsong, repeats. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for refrain

Common synonyms for refrain include abstain, forbear, desist, chorus, repetend, cease, chant, reprise — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does refrain come from?

The word refrain breaks down into 2 roots of Latin origin: re-, from Latin re (“back”); and -frain, from Latin frenum (“bridle, curb”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.