- past participle of constipate.
- past tense form of constipate.
constipated
Americanadjective
-
having a condition of the bowels in which the feces are dry and hardened and evacuation is difficult and infrequent.
Most constipated people need more fluids and fiber.
-
slow-moving or immobilized, as by overregulation, backlogs, etc..
Such an approach only adds to a bloated bureaucracy and constipated decision-making.
-
overly stiff, repressed, or conventional; uptight.
She describes her husband as “emotionally constipated.”
adjective
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suffering from constipation
-
subject to restriction or blockage in a flow of productive activity or creativity
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of constipated
First recorded in 1540–50; constipat(e) ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
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.
The process is more likely when food remains in the intestines for an extended period, even if a person does not feel noticeably constipated.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2026
“I was like, ‘You know, I don’t like you knowing that I’m constipated in the morning,’” Effrain says he told her.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
Ms Perea was 29 when she first visited her GP after feeling constipated and bloated.
From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2025
Lou is stuck and emotionally constipated, and needs to act and basically can’t, won’t, whatever.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2024
At first he thought he was looking at some kind of pregnant sea snake or a constipated eel.
From "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
