constrained
Americanadjective
-
forced, compelled, or obliged.
a constrained confession.
-
stiff or unnatural; uneasy or embarrassed.
a constrained manner.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of constrained
Explanation
Something that's constrained is forced, unnatural and not very spontaneous — kind of like a linebacker trying to perform the ballet Swan Lake. Constrained contains the word strained for a reason. Mostly because anyone that's constrained is feeling a fair amount of strain because of it. In addition to referring to unnatural or uncharacteristic behavior, being constrained can also mean being held back or forced to do something you don't want to do. If your budget has taken a hit, for example, you may feel constrained financially. If you are on a diet, you may feel constrained by the Weight Watchers point system.
Vocabulary lists containing constrained
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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Ash
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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.
"One thing that hasn't helped is we are quite a constrained town," he says.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
Policy space is also relatively constrained after fiscal and monetary stimulus measures were introduced last year to offset tariff-related risks, it adds.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
Every constrained watt and every delayed data-center rack is AI capacity that does not come online.
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
If anything, it intensifies it by removing the practical friction that once constrained broad searches.
From Slate • May 20, 2026
We have been for months constrained in scenes of prodigious sickness and desolation; we cannot but feel gratitude that we exchange these sad prospects for new views.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
