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 limitations

Another bombshell: There is no statute of limitations on rape in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything|Liz Seccuro|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Pennsylvania, where the assault is alleged to have taken place, has a 12-year statute of limitations on sexual assault.
No Wonder Cosby's Keeping Quiet: He Could Still Be Prosecuted|Jay Michaelson|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Are there statutes of limitations for these crimes, which in some cases are alleged to have taken place decades ago?
No Wonder Cosby's Keeping Quiet: He Could Still Be Prosecuted|Jay Michaelson|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
According to the memo, Miller then asked what the statute of limitations in Illinois was and to define what the allegations meant.
Chicago Priests Raped and Pillaged for 50 Years|Barbie Latza Nadeau|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It helped too that crime was no longer at the top of voter concerns, but the statute of limitations apparently has run out.
And Here Come 2014’s Willie Hortons|Eleanor Clift|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
My musical education, in spite of the limitations of opportunity just mentioned, was the best that the time could afford.
Reminiscences, 1819-1899|Julia Ward Howe.
Moreover, the prejudice and limitations of the teachers have to be recognized.
Private Sex Advice to Women|R. B. Armitage
We see how even the limitations of his environment helped the end.
A Short Life of Abraham Lincoln|John G. Nicolay
Before it could become a universal religion, it had to struggle with Jewish limitations and to overcome them.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 4|Various
For you stand or stray in the futile building, while the cloud is no mansion for man, and out of reach of his limitations.
The Colour of Life|Alice Meynell

British Dictionary definitions for limitations

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