limitation

American  

[lim-i-tey-shuhn] / ˌlɪm ɪˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

1. a limiting 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. limiting.

4. the state of being limited. 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.

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

• nonlimitation noun

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”; limit ) + -iō -ion

Example Sentences

“The rate of change in our business is so high right now that the limitations it would put in our technical development efforts make that a pretty unattractive proposition for us.”

From Barron's

England's limitations were such that an Italy side which began 2023 ranked 12th in the world - lower than Samoa – still scored more tries across the calendar year, despite playing three fewer matches.

From BBC

To address this limitation, the researchers designed an integrated device capable of toggling between electric and magnetic toroidal vortex patterns in free-space terahertz pulses.

From Science Daily

This extreme limitation means scientists still know relatively little about what lies far below the crust.

From Science Daily

Jefferies analysts do not foresee a “software apocalypse,” citing high security risks for large language models and current AI limitations.

From Barron's