straitened

American  

[streyt-nd] / ˈstreɪt nd /

adjective

1. characterized by financial difficulty or limited means.

   His early death left his widow and five young children in straitened circumstances.

2. restricted or limited; narrow or confining.

   She released her album on the Internet as a way of avoiding the “straitened formats” of radio and TV, she said.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of straiten.

Etymology

Origin of straitened

First recorded in 1520–30 straitened for def. 3; in 1600–10 straitened for defs. 1, 2; straiten ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; straiten ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

straitened

Alfie may never realize his romantic fantasies, but his Romanticism transcends his straitened horizons.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2025

At the same time, with the country’s straitened economy, parties are reluctant to be seen to be making unfunded spending commitments on anything, including green initiatives.

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2024

It makes sense that the industry should want to express its gratitude for shows that have managed — particularly in these straitened times — to pull in audiences from outside the usual theatergoing demographic.

From New York Times ● Apr. 15, 2024

But merchants and analysts said the dollarization boost has proven insufficient in the face of limited credit, a depreciating local currency, higher taxes, straitened public spending amid lower oil income, and rising utility bills.

From Reuters ● Sep. 1, 2023

Below-decks, we formed as best we could in straitened space and umbrageous darkness.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson