constraint
noun
con·straint kən-ˈstrānt 
1
a
: the act of constraining
b
: the state of being checked, restricted, or compelled to avoid or perform some action
… the constraint and monotony of a monastic life …
Matthew Arnold
Matthew Arnolda life of invalidism and constraint
c
: a constraining condition, agency, or force : check
put legal constraints on the board's activities
Budget constraints have forced me to revise my travel plans.
2
a
: repression of one's own feelings, behavior, or actions
emotional constraint
b
: a sense of being constrained : embarrassment
" … a constraint between us as if we were strangers … " John P. Marquand
John P. Marquand
Synonyms
- continence
- discipline
- discretion
- inhibition
- refrainment
- repression
- reserve
- restraint
- self-command
- self-control
- self-restraint
- suppression
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Lack of funding has been a major constraint on the building's design. They demand freedom from constraint. They refuse to work under constraint any longer.
Recent Examples on the Web Laws, which aim for lofty authority, are only one of the flavors of constraint Ms. Daston describes, along with models and algorithms. Timothy Farrington, WSJ, 9 Aug. 2022 The jump in fuel costs that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine set off are an additional constraint. Justin Lahart, WSJ, 29 Mar. 2022 If your dog hates life jackets—and any other form of constraint—this is the perfect solution. Kelley Rebori, Popular Mechanics, 21 June 2022 To Beijing, the existing order has become inherently hostile to it and a constraint on its global ambitions. Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 13 July 2022 Temporarily from regulatory constraint, these products flooded the market. Q.ai - Powering A Personal Wealth Movement, Forbes, 24 June 2022 Indeed, the biggest constraint for Apple fans hoping to play games is not performance, but the lack of support for most current big-budget titles. Brian Westover, PCMAG, 8 July 2022 These eliminations leave the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, negotiated by former presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev in 2010, as the only constraint on the numbers of strategic nuclear weapons. The Editors, Scientific American, 1 June 2022 With supply as a constraint, building long-range commodity buying strategies is critical. Lora Cecere, Forbes, 2 May 2022 See More
Timothy Farrington, WSJ, 9 Aug. 2022 The jump in fuel costs that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine set off are an additional constraint. Justin Lahart, WSJ, 29 Mar. 2022 If your dog hates life jackets—and any other form of constraint—this is the perfect solution. Kelley Rebori, Popular Mechanics, 21 June 2022 To Beijing, the existing order has become inherently hostile to it and a constraint on its global ambitions. Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 13 July 2022 Temporarily from regulatory constraint, these products flooded the market. Q.ai - Powering A Personal Wealth Movement, Forbes, 24 June 2022 Indeed, the biggest constraint for Apple fans hoping to play games is not performance, but the lack of support for most current big-budget titles. Brian Westover, PCMAG, 8 July 2022 These eliminations leave the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, negotiated by former presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev in 2010, as the only constraint on the numbers of strategic nuclear weapons. The Editors, Scientific American, 1 June 2022 With supply as a constraint, building long-range commodity buying strategies is critical. Lora Cecere, Forbes, 2 May 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Middle French constrainte, from constraindre — see constrain
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Kids Definition
constraint
noun
con·straint kən-ˈstrānt
1
: control that limits or restricts
The committee refused to act under constraint.
2
: something that limits or restricts
money constraints
constraint
noun
1
as in restraint
the checking of one's true feelings and impulses when dealing with others in civilized society people do not just say or do whatever they feel like—they exercise some constraint Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- restraint
- discipline
- repression
- inhibition
- suppression
- refrainment
- composure
- reserve
- discretion
- self-restraint
- self-control
- continence
- control
- self-command
- possession
- willpower
- mastery
- distance
- silence
- will
- reticence
- command
- bashfulness
- modesty
- self-discipline
- self-censorship
- self-containment
- shyness
- aloofness
- taciturnity
- detachedness
- self-denial
- self-mastery
- self-poise
- self-possession
- self-government
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unconstraint
- incontinence
- disinhibition
- gratification
- indulgence
- uninhibitedness
- frankness
- overindulgence
- candor
- bluntness
- unrestrainedness
- intemperance
- self-abandonment
- self-indulgence
- immoderacy
2
as in restriction
something that limits one's freedom of action or choice put legal constraints on the board's activities Synonyms & Similar Words
- restriction
- limitation
- restraint
- condition
- stricture
- curb
- circumscription
- exception
- prohibition
- stipulation
- fetter
- check
- proviso
- qualification
- reservation
- strings
- ban
- proscription
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- freedom
- latitude
3
as in pressure
the use of power to impose one's will on another parental constraint can take several different forms, including a denial of the approval that children usually seek from their parents Synonyms & Similar Words
- pressure
- compulsion
- coercion
- intimidation
- duress
- threat
- stress
- violence
- force
- fear
- arm-twisting
- strength
- menace
- squeeze
- terror
- muscle
- terrorism
- sword
- strain
- might
- potency
- bullying
- browbeating
- bulldozing
- squeeze play
- willfulness
- puissance
- self-will
- hardheadedness
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- agreement
- approval
- reason
- permission
- consent
- persuasion
- suasion
- convincing