limitation

American  

[lim-i-tey-shuhn] / ˌlɪm ɪˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

• limitations
  plural

1. a limiting condition; restrictive weakness; lack of capacity; inability or handicap.

   He knows his limitations as a writer.

2. something that limits; a limit or bound; restriction.

   an arms limitation; a limitation on imports.

3. the act of limiting.

4. the state of being limited.

5. Law. the assignment, as by statute, of a period of time within which an action must be brought, or the period of time assigned.

   a statute of limitations.

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limitation British  

/ ˌlɪmɪˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. something that limits a quality or achievement

2. the act of limiting or the condition of being limited

3. law a certain period of time, legally defined, within which an action, claim, etc, must be commenced

4. property law a restriction upon the duration or extent of an estate

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonlimitation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• limitations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of limitation

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English lymytacion, from Latin līmitātiōn-, stem of līmitātiō “determination, enclosure within boundaries,” from līmitāt(us) “bounded, enclosed” (past participle of līmitāre “to bound, enclose within boundaries”; see limit) + -iō -ion

Explanation

A limitation is something that holds you back, like a broken leg that keeps you off the dance floor during prom season. A limitation could also be a rule that restricts what you can do, like needing to be a certain height to ride a roller coaster at an amusement park. It can also be a circumstance that hampers you, like a dead car that keeps you from traveling very far from home. The noun limitation comes up a lot in the law, especially in the phrase "statute of limitations," which dictates how long after a crime someone can be prosecuted for committing it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

limitation limitations

Given the limitation of personal screens, this only reveals the varying frame dimensions, but it’s pretty fun to flick through them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

It is, of course, a natural limitation of the defense of the Great Books, as a genre, that the discourse fails to live up to the actual experience of reading any one of those books.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

"It's damage limitation really," Wainwright adds, who says individual players will react differently and some may struggle to sleep.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

Dow Agrosciences case showed the court carving a limitation in the rollback for FIFRA, the same statute at play in Monsanto.

From Slate ● Jun. 25, 2026

Meggers’s “law of environmental limitation of culture,” her critics in essence say, is nothing but a green variant of Holmberg’s Mistake.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

“She certainly writes about people’s limitations and foibles, but always with this generosity and this empathy.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Dyfed-Powys Police said a "significant amount of complex work" had been undertaken, and "the family has been updated on the limitations faced in reviewing an incident that took place 50 years ago".

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Buyers will also have to be informed of any limitations in autonomous systems.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

For Coop, his physical limitations become a realistic hurdle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

He dashed his opponents against their limitations the instant they left the starting gate, leaving them to ebb out like spilling water behind him.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand