cramped

¹ American  

[krampt] / kræmpt /

adjective

1. affected with a cramp in a muscle or muscles.

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cramped ² American  

[krampt] / kræmpt /

adjective

1. confined or severely limited in space.

   cramped closets.

2. 1. (of handwriting) with characters written small and crowded together.

   2. (of a style of writing) hard to understand; crabbed.

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cramped British  

/ kræmpt /

adjective

1. closed in; restricted

2. (esp of handwriting) small and irregular; difficult to read

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Other Word Forms

• crampedness noun

Etymology

Origin of cramped¹

First recorded in 1670–80; cramp ¹ + -ed ³

Origin of cramped¹

First recorded in 1670–80; cramp ² + -ed ²

Example Sentences

The house is small and has a cramped staircase to the upper floor, but she pays her mortgage without difficulty and usually tacks on an extra $200 payment toward the principal, she said.

From The Wall Street Journal

At the time, some retail executives in China dismissed the warehouse model, figuring it wasn’t suited to Chinese city-dwellers who lived in cramped apartments and got around by bicycle.

From The Wall Street Journal

Scores of residents flocked to a cramped shop in Hong Kong's old district to bid farewell to the city's "king of umbrellas", who is retiring after spending decades repairing umbrellas at his family business.

From Barron's

The undisputed best way to spend 13 hours in a cramped seat?

From The Wall Street Journal

“I’m his wife,” I said to the on-call doctor, asserting my place in the cramped exam room.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• crowded
• narrow
• packed
• small
• tiny