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.
In early September, two oil tankers controlled by the National Iranian Tanker Company, Hawk and Sinopa, pleaded with the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
The paper, 'Effect of non-nutritive sweetened beverages versus water on body weight: long-term results of a randomised controlled trial', was published in British Journal of Nutrition.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
“When a wind event, Red Flag Warning, low humidity period, or other elevated fire weather is forecasted after a wildland fire, departments should reassess recently controlled fire areas before the weather arrives,” the report said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
These attacks, plus a long list of murders of expatriates in Europe, happened when the oft-described “pragmatist,” Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani still dominated Tehran and controlled the Intelligence Ministry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
In fact, their only images have been produced under carefully controlled laboratory conditions that tell us more about the experimenter than they do about art.
From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson
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.
