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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in restriction
something that limits one's freedom of action or choice
put legal constraints on the board's activities
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of constraint
For a landlocked country like Armenia, greater regional connectivity is a lifeline, and progress with Turkey, together with TRIPP, can transform Armenia's geography from a constraint into a strategic advantage, opening entirely new trade gateways for investors.
—
Narek Mkrtchyan, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Xi, however, faces no such constraints.
—Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2025
Beilin also meditates on OuLiPo, how Anne Frank hiding from Nazis was, perhaps, the ultimate form of writing with a constraint.
—Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2025
The Sixers still have some constraints.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for constraint
Narek Mkrtchyan, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
Xi, however, faces no such constraints.
—Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2025
Beilin also meditates on OuLiPo, how Anne Frank hiding from Nazis was, perhaps, the ultimate form of writing with a constraint.
—Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2025
The Sixers still have some constraints.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for constraint
Recent Examples of Synonyms for constraint
Noun
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Through her restraint, Roberts provokes in us some semblance of empathy for her character – in a movie where everyone else is basically monstrous.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
-
As part of the plea agreement, criminal restraint and battery charges were dismissed.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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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
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Eight New York Jets showed pressure against just five available Broncos blockers, with the rest of Nix’s arsenal split out wide as Denver looked for a spark deep in its own territory.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
17 Oct. 2025
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Freshman Eva Karacalidis starred in her debut at center-mid, helping the Porkers apply a wealth of offensive pressure in an 11-shot first half.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The network also told the WGAE that the email responses are not the basis for discipline, discharge or layoffs.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
14 Oct. 2025
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What started as the follow-up to D’Angelo’s 1995 platinum debut, Brown Sugar (written and recorded entirely by D’Angelo in his mother’s house in Richmond, Virginia), became five years of study at Soul University, complete with classes, pranks, gossip and equal amounts of discipline and laziness.—
Touré,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The precise mechanics now accepted as holding back player development in the States — the pay-to-play model at youth level, the limitations of MLS — were not really considered.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
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Siddiqi emphasizes that creative decisions were driven by instinct and extensive discussion rather than external limitations.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Where does this compulsion stem from?—
Nina Mesfin,
New Yorker,
5 Oct. 2025
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Unlike others of his ilk, Dexter has honed his compulsion and focuses only on bad people in Miami who slip through the hands of justice.—
Barry Garron,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Made as Brazil’s dictatorship was losing its grip, these films confronted repression indirectly, turning sensuality into an act of defiance.—
Lise Pedersen,
Variety,
12 Oct. 2025
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Political scientist Ronald Krebs notes that domestic rights advocates rarely gain lasting momentum from the award, and may even face intensified repression.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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On-demand male contraception via acute inhibition of soluble adenylyl cyclase.—
Hannah Millington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
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Maintaining the correct proportion of excitation to inhibition is critical for keeping the brain healthy and harmonious.—
Yasemin Saplakoglu,
Quanta Magazine,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Constraint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/constraint. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
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