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

a 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

Synonyms of constraint

• restraint
• discipline
• repression
• inhibition
• suppression

Examples of constraint in a Sentence

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

Alan Siow, co-head of EM corporate debt at Ninety One Asset Management, said the White House appears to be adapting to such legal constraints and may be emboldened by limited retaliation and no clear inflation spike. — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 27 July 2026

Walk into the conversation not only with your points down cold, but also with their constraints and objections mapped out. — Cynthia Pong, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026

By the end, however, her methodological commitment comes to seem like a creative constraint. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 25 July 2026

Demand destruction is still mostly winning out over supply constraints. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 24 July 2026

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

Rhymes for constraint

• acquaint
• complaint
• distraint
• repaint
• restraint
• faint
• feint
• maint
• paint
• plaint
• quaint
• saint

Kids Definition

constraint

noun

con·​straint kən-ˈstrānt 

1

: the act of constraining : the state of being constrained

2

: something that constrains : check

3

: a holding back of one's feelings, actions, or behavior