controlled
Americanadjective
-
held in check; curbed.
poorly controlled anger.
-
carefully regulated, tested, or verified.
a controlled experiment.
-
(of a drug) restricted by law as to possession and use.
Morphine is a controlled drug.
Etymology
Origin of controlled
First recorded in 1580–90; control ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
Explanation
Something that's controlled is kept in check or restrained. Your controlled laughter in math class won't get you in trouble, because it's muted and calm. Some people really blow their stacks when they get angry, while others express a controlled anger, calmly explaining their frustration. The ability to keep your emotions controlled is a useful one. A different meaning of controlled is "restricted by law," — many medications and drugs are classified as "controlled substances. The root of both controlled and control is the Latin contrarotulus, "a register, counter, or record of something."
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 laundering highlights a divide in the crypto industry over who bears responsibility when criminals use its technology, especially when it comes to decentralized services whose creators say aren’t controlled by any one person.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2026
US-backed Pena, who sold his stake in the group that controlled the bank last year, had offered his resignation.
From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2026
Tesla and SpaceX are also in early talks to combine into a company that would likely be heavily controlled by Musk, giving rise to what some have called “Elon, Inc.”
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
But as of Thursday evening no hard evidence had emerged linking the airline hoaxes to Russia, Iran or any proxy groups controlled by them.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
Soon after, Carl Wernicke found another area on the left temporal lobe that controlled the ability to understand speech.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
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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.
