Inhibit = discourage someone (including yourself) from doing/saying something Restrict = prevent someone from doing/saying something (e.g., by law or with a barrier) Confine = prevent someone from leaving a space (e.g., you locked them in a room) Restrain = prevent someone from moving parts of his body (e.g., you tied him up with rope) These words are sometimes used inter-changeably: e.g., "His wife restrained him from punching the other man in the face" doesn't mean she tied him to a chair, but that she held him or told him not to do it. Likewise, you can restrain yourself from doing something through willpower (instead of through handcuffs!), etc.