1
as in restriction
something that limits one's freedom of action or choice
such circumscriptions on the freedom of speech are antithetical to a free and open society
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in limitation
the act or practice of keeping something (as an activity) within certain boundaries
electronic monitoring bracelets are sometimes used to impose a circumscription of movement on people awaiting trial
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Recent Examples of circumscription
That said, the impact of Mr. Cervas’s circumscription has already been profound, creating the likelihood of highly competitive general-election campaigns from Long Island to upstate New York.
—
New York Times, 28 May 2022
Their circumscription, however, does not make Assad’s current priorities less dangerous.
—Lina Khatib, Foreign Affairs, 17 Jan. 2020
Longtime readers of the site, though, have noted that the site no longer functions this way, in part because the Internet isn’t currently a space conducive to blinders and circumscription.
—Ross Scarano, Billboard, 6 May 2019
REM candidates made the second round in 453 circumscriptions and its MoDem allies qualified in another 62.
—Gregory Viscusi, Bloomberg.com, 18 June 2017
Conditions explicitly accounted by our model include warfare, circumscription, variation in productivity between different local communities, ability to generate surpluses, ability to delegate power, and restrictions on the growth of polities due to scalar stress.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 20 Jan. 2011
New York Times, 28 May 2022
Their circumscription, however, does not make Assad’s current priorities less dangerous.
—Lina Khatib, Foreign Affairs, 17 Jan. 2020
Longtime readers of the site, though, have noted that the site no longer functions this way, in part because the Internet isn’t currently a space conducive to blinders and circumscription.
—Ross Scarano, Billboard, 6 May 2019
REM candidates made the second round in 453 circumscriptions and its MoDem allies qualified in another 62.
—Gregory Viscusi, Bloomberg.com, 18 June 2017
Conditions explicitly accounted by our model include warfare, circumscription, variation in productivity between different local communities, ability to generate surpluses, ability to delegate power, and restrictions on the growth of polities due to scalar stress.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 20 Jan. 2011
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumscription
Noun
-
Cifuentes sees a bright future for the club, with academy graduates Jeremy Monga, Louis Page, Jake Evans and Silko Thomas giving him options in the face of restrictions on recruitment.—
Rob Tanner,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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The change represents a shift in how OpenAI approaches content restrictions, which the company had loosened in February but then dramatically tightened after an August lawsuit from parents of a teen who died by suicide after allegedly receiving encouragement from ChatGPT.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
And some studies finding positive results, such as the one mentioned above, have had significant limitations, including small sample sizes and potential conflicts of interest due to industry funding.—
Sarah Garone,
Health,
18 Oct. 2025
-
These decisions have significantly affected the availability of polling places, early voting, absentee ballot eligibility, and even the provision of food and water to voters waiting in lines for hours to vote, likely due to limitations mentioned above.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Acknowledging the club’s payroll constraints and the up-in-the-air ownership situation following reports that John Fisher intends to sell the team, Arena said the Quakes need to surround players like Martinez and Christian Espinoza, one of the top scoring duos in the league, with more talent.—
Evan Webeck,
Mercury News,
19 Oct. 2025
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And the commission’s mandate faces several serious constraints.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Circumscription.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumscription. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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