Act
Act verb - Perform an action, or work out or perform (an action).
Usage example: The governor should act on the new energy bill
Refrain is an antonym for act in topics: do something, entertain by playing a role, behave in a certain way.
Refrain
Refrain verb - Resist doing something.
Usage example: He refrained from hitting him back
Nearby Words: refrained, refraining
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
- The Ancients did refrain from using it because of moral objections, and decided to flee instead; given the trouble caused by the continued existence of the Ori, this was a seriously neglectful act.
Source: HeelFace Brainwashing -
In Carmen the refrain of the Toreador's Song appears in the first three minutes of the overture and appears in every act thereafter.
Source: Opera - In Puccini's one-act opera Il Tabarro, the refrain to the balladeer's song of Mimi includes an instrumental quote of "Mi chiamano Mimì" from La Bohème.
Source: Shout Out / Theater
Cite this Source
Refrain and Act. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/act/refrain
Act & Refrain. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/act/refrain>.
Refrain or Act. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/act/refrain.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "act" and "refrain" have occurred on timeline