Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

Thesaurus

circumscribe

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of circumscribe

1 to set bounds or an upper limit for
  • circumscribed his enthusiasm so as not to make the losing side feel worse
Synonyms of circumscribe

cap, confine, hold down, limit, restrict
Words Related to circumscribe

bar, block, hamper, hinder, impede, obstruct

constrict, contract, lessen, narrow, pinch, squeeze, tighten

quell, repress, suppress

number

modify, qualify
Near Antonyms of circumscribe

broaden, expand, widen

overextend, overreach
Antonyms of circumscribe

exceed
2 to mark the limits of
  • Lake Michigan circumscribes the city of Chicago on the east.
Synonyms of circumscribe

bound, define, delimit, demarcate, demark, limit, mark (off), terminate
Words Related to circumscribe

control, determine, govern

delineate, describe

Synonym Discussion of circumscribe

limit, restrict, circumscribe, confine mean to set bounds for. limit implies setting a point or line (as in time, space, speed, or degree) beyond which something cannot or is not permitted to go.
    • visits are limited to 30 minutes
restrict suggests a narrowing or tightening or restraining within or as if within an encircling boundary.
    • laws intended to restrict the freedom of the press
circumscribe stresses a restriction on all sides and by clearly defined boundaries.
    • the work of the investigating committee was carefully circumscribed
confine suggests severe restraint and a resulting cramping, fettering, or hampering.
    • our choices were confined by finances

Learn More about circumscribe

  1. See words that rhyme with circumscribe Dictionary: Definition of circumscribe Spanish Central: Translation of circumscribe Nglish: Translation of circumscribe for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of circumscribe for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up circumscribe? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

raillery

play

good-natured ridicule

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. embolization 'the process by which a blood vessel or organ is obstructed by a material mass'

  2. oleaginous 'marked by an offensively ingratiating manner or quality'

  3. pansexual 'sexual desire or attraction...not limited to a particular gender identity or sexual orientation'

  4. symbiote 'an organism living in symbiosis'

  5. charlatan 'faker or fraud'

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-5b032d1aef0e9
'Ingenious' and 'Ingenuous': More Than a Typo

One's clever, the other's like a child

alt-5b0310daaafde
A Matter-of-Fact Look at 'Deadpan'

Surely we can be serious.

image1481409085
9 Words from the Magical Realm

When language is magic

alt-5afefa13cc811
A Field Guide to British Noble Titles

Know your Duchess from your Baroness

Ask the Editors

video-ghost-words
Ghost Word

The story of an imaginary word that managed to sneak past our editors and enter the dictionary.

image1760257654
2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

video-literally
Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

video-his-or-her
Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

Word Games

image1676440788
Words Used by Nabokov Quiz

How familiar are you with Nabokov’s unfamiliar vocabulary?

Take the quiz
cow-coming-home
Farm Idioms Quiz

Not your children's farm quiz.

Take the quiz
True or False
True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz
Add Diction
Add Diction

Build a chain of words by adding one letter at a time.

Play the game