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Showing results for "confined"
Synonyms

confined

American  
[kuhn-fahynd] / kənˈfaɪnd /

adjective

  1. limited or restricted.

  2. unable to leave a place because of illness, imprisonment, etc.

  3. being in childbirth; being in parturition.


confined British  
/ kənˈfaɪnd /

adjective

  1. enclosed or restricted; limited

  2. in childbed; undergoing childbirth

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of confined

confine + -ed 2


Explanation

The adjective confined describes a space that is cramped or small and constricted. You probably don't see any claustrophobic vampires because if they were claustrophobic, they'd have a fear of confined spaces — like their coffins. The adjective confined describes being in captivity or not free to move about. If you do charity work, you could read books to older people confined to their homes. You could move your confined arms better if you just took off a few layers of clothes; you really don't need three sweaters, a vest, and a coat in 40 degree weather — even if you are from Arizona.

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Vocabulary lists containing confined

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Earlier this month, Barclays analysts were warning that elevated diesel prices “are unlikely to remain confined to the energy line-items of U.S. inflation.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026

Which means these attitudes are not just confined to dedicated craft-snarking spaces.

From Slate ● Oct. 11, 2026

This provided evidence that fluid from the back of the eye could enter an active drainage pathway rather than remaining confined within the eye.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

Fifty years ago, he says, bullying would have been relatively "private", and confined to "the classroom, in the halls, in the school".

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

His colleagues, confined to their lab benches, thought that he had gone fully mad.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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