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 original study was controlled and carefully designed, but it was also small.
From Science Daily • May 24, 2026
The study, titled "Personalised gait retraining for medial compartment knee osteoarthritis: a randomised controlled trial," was published in The Lancet Rheumatology.
From Science Daily • May 22, 2026
The company did not intend to recover either the booster or the upper stage, and the final splashdown was fiery but controlled, as planned.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
While the IPO offers investors economic exposure, it also provides the controlled company with a crucial cash cushion for acquisitions during industry consolidation.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
To the Pythagorean mind, ratios controlled the universe, and what was true for the Pythagoreans soon became true for the entire West.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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.
