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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of constraint
The funding commitment will last two fiscal cycles unless the city’s budgetary constraints are relieved, Hallman added.
—
Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
Brands and manufacturers must navigate shifting consumer demand, volatile geopolitical conditions, and increasing trade barriers including tariffs and complex international sourcing constraints.
—Sj Studio, Sourcing Journal, 4 Sep. 2025
Water involves cost and supply constraints.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Reporters follow a similar pattern in terms of engaging as many people as their article’s space constraints allow.
—Jennifer Farmer, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for constraint
Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
Brands and manufacturers must navigate shifting consumer demand, volatile geopolitical conditions, and increasing trade barriers including tariffs and complex international sourcing constraints.
—Sj Studio, Sourcing Journal, 4 Sep. 2025
Water involves cost and supply constraints.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Reporters follow a similar pattern in terms of engaging as many people as their article’s space constraints allow.
—Jennifer Farmer, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for constraint
Recent Examples of Synonyms for constraint
Noun
-
Americans for Prosperity ― Ogles' former employer and that of many of his congressional staff ― is a political special interest group that advocates for limited government, free markets and fiscal restraint.—
Vivian Jones,
Nashville Tennessean,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Enyedi has often made meditative cinema, but here her restraint in some sequences verges on suffocating.—
Leila Latif,
IndieWire,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Medication access, restrictions If signed into law by Abbott, Texas would join a handful of other states that allow the over-the-counter sale of ivermectin.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Regional restrictions may apply.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The decision comes following months of mass deportations and pressure to close Alligator Alcatraz, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility located in the Florida Everglades.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
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Meanwhile, Europe is battling its own demons, including a surge in far-right nationalism and economic pressures.—
Ivana Kottasová,
CNN Money,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Because the threat of discipline exists, that could impact the trade market for Hill.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Suddenly, Rogers was below average at all three core disciplines, and was sent to the Orioles at the trading deadline for prospects Connor Norby and Kyle Stowers.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Within that report, the limitations of the analysis need to be acknowledged.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Tactics will remain flexible to adapt to changing fire behavior, terrain limitations, and resource availability.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This compulsion to celebrate himself in general, and to celebrate such a juvenile, harmless gesture in particular, should be yet another reason to lose all patience with Lee Raybon.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
4 Sep. 2025
-
Political compulsions could lead to measures that expand the country's fiscal deficit, further raising borrowing costs.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This will raise concerns about prisoners in Russia facing further torture and repressions without scrutiny.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Advertisement Centuries of spiritual repression like this is one reason why so little is known about Black mermaids like Mami Wata.—
Time,
Time,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This also supports the idea that swearing can momentarily activate mental states that reduce inhibition and allow the body and mind to perform at a higher level.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Lockwood’s lack of inhibition can lead to trouble.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Constraint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/constraint. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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