constrained
Americanadjective
-
forced, compelled, or obliged.
a constrained confession.
-
stiff or unnatural; uneasy or embarrassed.
a constrained manner.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of constrained
Explanation
Something that's constrained is forced, unnatural and not very spontaneous — kind of like a linebacker trying to perform the ballet Swan Lake. Constrained contains the word strained for a reason. Mostly because anyone that's constrained is feeling a fair amount of strain because of it. In addition to referring to unnatural or uncharacteristic behavior, being constrained can also mean being held back or forced to do something you don't want to do. If your budget has taken a hit, for example, you may feel constrained financially. If you are on a diet, you may feel constrained by the Weight Watchers point system.
Vocabulary lists containing constrained
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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Ash
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The pipeline carries crude from the kingdom’s oil-producing east to the Red Sea coast, providing an important alternative export route with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remaining constrained.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
The agency also found that oil production slipped by 1.6 million barrels per day month-on-month to 100.1 million barrels in August as shipping through the strait remained constrained.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
Refiners are earning high returns as fuel prices outpace crude costs, giving them a strong incentive to maximize production even as the broader oil system remains constrained.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Holiday lets "can generate important economic and social benefits, especially for households struggling to make ends meet" but "they may also aggravate housing demand pressures in some constrained local housing markets," the EU draft read.
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
Rather than blaming civil rights groups, however, it is far more productive to understand the reasons why the response to mass incarceration has been so constrained.
From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
