limitation

[ lim-i-tey-shuh n ]

/ ˌlɪm ɪˈteɪ ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR limitation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a limiting condition; restrictive weakness; lack of capacity; inability or handicap: He knows his limitations as a writer.

something that limits; a limit or bound; restriction: an arms limitation; a limitation on imports.

the act of limiting.

the state of being limited.

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.

Nearby words

limit switch, limit-cycle, limit-state design, limitarian, limitary, limitation, limitative, limited, limited company, limited edition, limited liability

Origin of limitation

1350–1400; Middle English lymytacion < Latin līmitātiōn- (stem of līmitātiō) a bounding, equivalent to līmitāt(us) (past participle of līmitāre to enclose within boundaries; see limit, -ate¹) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms

non·lim·i·ta·tion, noun

Can be confused

limit limitation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for limitation

The result will have to be a limitation of the doctrine itself.
Why Hobby Lobby Will Be Bad for Conservatives|Jay Michaelson|June 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The issue in McCutcheon v. FEC is the limitation on aggregate contributions to federal campaigns.
The Court Case That Pivots on What ‘Corrupt’ Really Means|Lawrence Lessig|September 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Fitzgerald was a romantic but not a sensualist, a limitation in his writing he acknowledged.
The Great Gatsby: Book Versus Movie|Jon Reiner|May 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But that limitation really illuminates the talents of these women.
This Week’s Hot Reads: April 8, 2013|G. Clay Whittaker|April 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Moreover, the limitation of “major settlement blocs” is squishy at best.
An Open Letter To John Kerry|Emily L. Hauser|January 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
On the other side was a people who had progressed far in self-government, and who resisted any limitation of their rights.
The Siege of Boston|Allen French
If any limitation was intended, the convention certainly knew that it was necessary it should be inserted.
Abridgment of the Debates of Congress, from 1789 to 1856, Vol. I (of 16)|Thomas Hart Benton
Why, Sir, all the statutes of limitation that ever were made sanction possession which was originally wrongful.
The Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches of Lord Macaulay, Vol. 4 (of 4)|Thomas Babington Macaulay
Have we any reason for thus imposing upon the Deity the limitation of our own feebleness?
Doctrine of the Will|Asa Mahan
A fortiori, therefore, there ought to be a time of limitation in the latter case.
The Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches of Lord Macaulay, Vol. 4 (of 4)|Thomas Babington Macaulay

British Dictionary definitions for limitation

limitation

/ (ˌlɪmɪˈteɪʃən) /

noun

something that limits a quality or achievement

the act of limiting or the condition of being limited

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

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

limitation

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of limitation

Related forms

Can be confused

Examples from the Web for limitation

British Dictionary definitions for limitation

limitation

noun