straitjacket

American  

[streyt-jak-it] / ˈstreɪtˌdʒæk ɪt /

Or straightjacket

noun

1. a garment made of strong material and designed to bind the arms, as of a violently disoriented person.

2. anything that severely confines, constricts, or hinders.

   Conventional attitudes can be a straitjacket, preventing original thinking.

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verb (used with object)

1. to put in or as in a straitjacket.

   Her ambition was straitjacketed by her family.

straitjacket British  

/ ˈstreɪtˌdʒækɪt /

noun

1. Also called: straightjacket.  a jacket made of strong canvas material with long sleeves for binding the arms of violent prisoners or mentally ill patients

2. a severe restriction or limitation

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verb

1. (tr) to confine in or as if in a straitjacket

Etymology

Origin of straitjacket

First recorded in 1805–15; strait + jacket

Example Sentences

“We have to take the financial system out of this straitjacket,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who interviewed Bowman last fall as he sought candidates to succeed Powell, said on Fox Business in December.

From The Wall Street Journal

And she suggested replacing the contentious Let's Create strategy, which she said was widely seen as a straitjacket, "stifling artistic innovation and creativity".

From BBC

He was seen as a deft negotiator of the centre ground, triangulating his way out of the straitjacket of traditional left-right politics.

From BBC

It makes the whole project less overwhelming — more a compass than a straitjacket.

From Salon

Wilson said the album would be a “teenage symphony to God,” a piece of music so audacious it would unlock the straitjacket he felt was keeping pop music bland and predictable.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ban
• constraint
• curb
• embargo
• limit
• prohibition
• reduction
• restriction