Showing Results for "limited"

See Also:

• past tense form of limit.
• past participle of limit.

limited

American  

[lim-i-tid] / ˈlɪm ɪ tɪd /

adjective

1. confined within limits; restricted or circumscribed.

   a limited space; limited resources.

2. Government. restricted with reference to governing powers by limitations prescribed in laws and in a constitution, as in

3. characterized by an inability to think imaginatively or independently; lacking originality or scope; narrow.

   a rather limited intelligence.

4. Chiefly British.

   1. responsible for the debts of a company only to a specified amount proportionate to the percentage of stock held.

   2. (of a business firm) owned by stockholders, each having a restricted liability for the company's debts.

   3. (usually initial capital letter) incorporated; Inc. Ltd.

5. (of railroad trains, buses, etc.) making only a limited number of stops en route.

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noun

1. a limited train, bus, etc.

limited British  

/ ˈlɪmɪtɪd /

adjective

1. having a limit; restricted; confined

2. without fullness or scope; narrow

3. (of governing powers, sovereignty, etc) restricted or checked, by or as if by a constitution, laws, or an assembly

   limited government

4. (of a train) stopping only at certain stations and having only a set number of cars for passengers

5. (of a business enterprise) owned by shareholders whose liability for the enterprise's debts is restricted

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noun

1. a limited train, bus, etc

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• limitedness
  noun
• limitedly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of limited

First recorded in 1545–55; limit + -ed ²

Explanation

If your gift certificate is only good for a limited amount of time, you have a specific number of days in which you can use it. Limited means short, small, or restricted by specific rules. When a rock concert has a limited number of seats, you may not be able to count on sitting down for the show. Likewise, it's tricky to open a business in a city with a limited amount of retail space. The adjective limited, which comes from the verb limit, was originally used to describe certain train routes — a limited was a term for an express train the late 1800's.

Example Sentences

While Bass and Raman trekked across the city during the primary, Pratt limited his public appearances mostly to the Westside and random encounters with supporters he posted on social media.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 10, 2026

Investor demand and limited stock supply means options implied volatility will likely be higher than merited.

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

This narrowing of the power gap worldwide has limited what military might alone can achieve.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

In terms of the in-orbit refuelling, a March 2026 report from the US Government Accountability Office found that Elon Musk's SpaceX had made "limited progress" maturing the technology.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

It made her even more thirsty, but she didn’t want to drink any more of their limited supply.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

Related Words

• diminished
• insufficient
• minimal
• narrow
• poor
• reduced
• restricted
• small