cramped

¹ American  

[krampt] / kræmpt /

adjective

1. affected with a cramp in a muscle or muscles.

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cramped ² American  

[krampt] / kræmpt /

adjective

1. confined or severely limited in space.

   cramped closets.

2. 1. (of handwriting) with characters written small and crowded together.

   2. (of a style of writing) hard to understand; crabbed.

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cramped British  

/ kræmpt /

adjective

1. closed in; restricted

2. (esp of handwriting) small and irregular; difficult to read

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Other Word Forms

• crampedness noun

Etymology

Origin of cramped¹

First recorded in 1670–80; cramp ¹ + -ed ³

Origin of cramped²

First recorded in 1670–80; cramp ² + -ed ²

Example Sentences

I’m in a cramped examination room at a clinic in Panama City.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

Lots of the scenes take place in cramped elevators and bank vaults.

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026

When AFP visited, relatives of the missing packed into a local elder's cramped home, showing WhatsApp and Facebook groups filled with blurry images, unverified lists and rumours.

From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026

First impressions had me doubting my decision: Unfinished plywood lined the cramped elevator and my room—a snug, white space-age capsule—looked like it had emerged from a 3-D printer.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

My knees gave, first the cramped one, then the other, and I sank down.

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

Related Words

• crowded
• narrow
• packed
• small
• tiny