constraint
Americannoun
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limitation or restriction.
- Synonyms:
- pressure, obligation, force
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repression of natural feelings and impulses.
to practice constraint.
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unnatural restraint in manner, conversation, etc.; embarrassment.
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something that constrains.
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the act of constraining.
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the condition of being constrained. constrain.
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Linguistics. a restriction on the operation of a linguistic rule or the occurrence of a linguistic construction.
noun
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compulsion, force, or restraint
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repression or control of natural feelings or impulses
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a forced unnatural manner; inhibition
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something that serves to constrain; restrictive condition
social constraints kept him silent
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linguistics any very general restriction on a sentence formation rule
Other Word Forms
- nonconstraint noun
Etymology
Origin of constraint
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English constreinte, from Middle French, noun use of feminine past participle of constreindre “to constrain”; constrain
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 decision followed a string of reports showing a deteriorating inflation outlook and warnings from the RBA that the economy is starting to grind up against capacity constraints.
Every era produces its own response, shaped by the opportunities and constraints of its time.
But the commission, which oversees elections in the UK, said it did not think "capacity constraints are a legitimate reason for delaying long-planned elections".
From BBC
Supply constraints will be exacerbated by Micron’s transition to high-bandwidth memory 4, which will consume 33% more wafers than the current version of the product, the analysts say.
Read on for more excerpts of their conversation about the art of adaptation, navigating budget constraints at any scale and much more.
From Los Angeles Times
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.