constraint

[kuhn-streynt]

noun

1. limitation or restriction.

   Synonyms: pressure, obligation, force

2. repression of natural feelings and impulses.

   to practice constraint.

3. unnatural restraint in manner, conversation, etc.; embarrassment.

4. something that constrains.

5. the act of constraining.

6. the condition of being constrained. constrain.

7. Linguistics.,  a restriction on the operation of a linguistic rule or the occurrence of a linguistic construction.

constraint

/ kənˈstreɪnt /

noun

1. compulsion, force, or restraint

2. repression or control of natural feelings or impulses

3. a forced unnatural manner; inhibition

4. something that serves to constrain; restrictive condition

   social constraints kept him silent

5. linguistics any very general restriction on a sentence formation rule

Other Word Forms

• nonconstraint noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of constraint¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English constreinte, from Middle French, noun use of feminine past participle of constreindre “to constrain”; constrain

Example Sentences

High costs, limited production capacity, and supply-chain constraints are major barriers to universal access to the injections that can help people shift significant weight, says WHO.

Read more on BBC

As a pair of academics wrote recently in MIT Sloan Management Review, “The barrier to full automation isn’t raw capability—it’s a stack of human, legal and cultural constraints.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It also said the efforts "should be complemented by pro-growth structural reforms, including measures to foster more innovation and digitalisation, cut red tape, reduce labour supply constraints... and deepen European economic integration".

Read more on Barron's

This finding strengthens the evidence that cleaner fuels have substantially reduced shipping's impact on cloud properties and provides an important constraint for improving future climate models.

Read more on Science Daily

Countries looking to expand their AI capabilities face constraints, such as procuring sufficient power for data centers.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• curb 
• hindrance 
• restraint