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

My colleagues in European public broadcasting, in other countries — whether smaller countries that can’t afford to support their national production at the same level as ours, or countries as big as ours but facing the same budget constraints — are already diving into American fiction. —Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026

Past wars have not been dictated by the operating hours of the NYSE, but in this presidential worldview, there is no more important constraint. —Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026

Wood is an Australian writer especially interested in the way civilizational constraints affect people—and what happens when the invisible rules governing daily life are rearranged. —Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026

Subsequent supply constraints, along with attacks on energy facilities and regional production shutdowns, have pushed oil prices into triple digits. —Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 26 Mar. 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
• enceinte
• repaint
• restraint
• faint
• feint
• maint
• paint
• plaint
• quaint

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