limitation

[lim-i-tey-shuh n]

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.

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 formsnon·lim·i·ta·tion, noun

Can be confusedlimit limitation

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

Related Words for limitation

control, restriction, cramp, injunction, obstruction, curb, snag, stint, circumspection, stricture, check, drawback, modification, inhibition, reservation, taboo, condition, definition, bar, constraint

Examples from the Web for limitation

Contemporary Examples of 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
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
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
But that limitation really illuminates the talents of these women.
This Week’s Hot Reads: April 8, 2013
G. Clay Whittaker
April 9, 2013
Moreover, the limitation of “major settlement blocs” is squishy at best.
An Open Letter To John Kerry
Emily L. Hauser
January 25, 2013

Historical Examples of limitation

Their connection continued until 1867, when it expired by limitation.
Cleveland Past and Present
Maurice Joblin
Then under this limitation—let me ask you again, why do you wish to please?
Tales And Novels, Volume 8 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
He acts with him as a sort of guardian; and that is the limitation of his role.
The Memoirs of Madame de Montespan, Complete
Madame La Marquise De Montespan
The greatest strength is observed to have an element of limitation.
Ion
Plato
It is necessarily limited in range, and its limitation is its strength.
Theaetetus
Plato

British Dictionary definitions for limitation

limitation

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

Word Origin and History for limitation

late 14c., from Old French limitacion and directly from Latin limitationem (nominative limitatio), noun of action from past participle stem of limitare (see limit (v.)). Phrase statute of limitations attested by 1768.