restricted
Americanadjective
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confined; limited.
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(of information, a document, etc.)
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bearing the classification restricted, usually the lowest level of classified information.
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limited to persons authorized to use information, documents, etc., so classified.
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limited to or admitting only members of a particular group or class.
a restricted neighborhood; a restricted hotel.
adjective
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limited or confined
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not accessible to the general public or ( esp US ) out of bounds to military personnel
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denoting or in a zone in which a speed limit or waiting restrictions for vehicles apply
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of restricted
Explanation
Have you ever seen a door labeled Restricted? If so, you probably know it means "Stay out." A restricted area can only be entered by certain people. Anything labeled restricted is not public. Restricted things are private, and only certain people who are authorized can access or use those things. Anything restricted is subject to more rules. In sports, a restricted free agent has to worry about more rules than an unrestricted free agent. Something or someone restricted has to deal with restrictions, which are rules or laws that set limits.
Vocabulary lists containing restricted
Nothing But the Truth
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Selection Vocabulary 3, Unit 4
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Selection Vocabulary 1, Unit 4
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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.
With smaller populations, restricted to smaller and less diverse areas, today’s primates lack the genetic diversity to adapt to changing environments.
From Science Daily • Jun. 20, 2026
Regulations also restricted where guns could be carried.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026
That highly technical document restricted Iran's stockpile of nuclear material to 300kg and said it could not enrich its uranium above 3.67% for 15 years.
From BBC • Jun. 18, 2026
For now, the company has restricted freeway driving.
From Barron's • Jun. 18, 2026
Linear B was inherently so ambiguous that it remained restricted to palace accounts, whose context and limited word choices made the interpretation clear.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
