Showing results for "limited"

• 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

• 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

Limited financial resources reduce women’s taxable income, resulting in smaller contributions to Social Security and public services that power our collective economy, as well as our collective wellbeing.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 26, 2026

The ledger also lists Doha, Qatar, as the address for a mysterious entity called AM FIG Cayman Limited, which invested around $10 million in 2020.

From Salon • Jun. 19, 2026

Lawyer Stephen McGowan, representing food management company Sodexo Limited, said the move to serve open cans of drink would be trialled as a pilot at the stadium.

From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026

Yet when a group of performers recently got onto the topic during The Envelope’s Emmy Limited Series / TV Movie Roundtable, it turned out everyone had their own way of doing it.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

In an all-out campaign to push the Susan B. Anthony Amendment through Congress, a “Prison Special” tour began with former prisoners traveling throughout the country on a train named the Democracy Limited.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

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