Synonyms of circumscribed

circumscribed 1 of 2

adjective

as in limited

having distinct or certain limits

the powers of that state's governor are so sharply circumscribed that often his hands are tied by the state legislature

Synonyms & Similar Words

• limited
• restricted
• finite
• defined
• narrow
• definite
• bounded
• determinate
• specific
• measured
• confined
• detailed
• small
• tiny
• constricted
• modified
• qualified
• fixed
• modest
• precise
• moderate
• determined
• settled
• exact
• puny
• minute

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• infinite
• unbounded
• undefined
• indefinite
• boundless
• limitless
• unlimited
• endless
• illimitable
• dimensionless
• unmeasured
• immeasurable
• innumerable
• incalculable
• measureless
• inexhaustible
• general
• vague
• indeterminate
• unfathomable
• inestimable
• countless
• enlarged
• nebulous
• unqualified
• large
• bottomless
• expanded
• unreserved
• vast
• extensive
• considerable
• substantial
• plentiful
• copious
• broad
• sizable
• voluminous
• great
• big
• expansive
• handsome
• major
• respectable
• bulky
• whole
• goodly
• super
• ample
• universal
• grandiose
• inclusive
• oversize
• comprehensive
• jumbo
• cosmopolitan
• epic
• sweeping
• global
• hefty
• escalated
• bumper
• largish
• plenitudinous
• overscale
• hulking
• whacking
• king-size

circumscribed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of circumscribe

1

as in restricted

to set bounds or an upper limit for

circumscribed his enthusiasm so as not to make the losing side feel worse

Synonyms & Similar Words

• limited
• restricted
• confined
• tightened
• capped
• held down
• hampered
• hindered
• narrowed
• impeded
• suppressed
• blocked
• obstructed
• modified
• barred
• constricted
• contracted
• repressed
• lessened
• squeezed
• pinched
• numbered
• qualified
• quelled

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• exceeded
• expanded
• broadened
• widened
• overextended
• overreached

2

as in defined

to mark the limits of

Lake Michigan circumscribes the city of Chicago on the east

Synonyms & Similar Words

• defined
• limited
• bounded
• demarcated
• described
• delimited
• marked (off)
• demarked
• governed
• terminated
• controlled
• delineated
• determined

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of circumscribed

Adjective

Through it all, Nussbaum chafed at the circumscribed role of women. — Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026

Of course the playwright has prepared the way, but the wayward emotions emanating from these inwardly glowing performances are refreshing in work that has the crisp, circumscribed elegance of a mathematical proof. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Signs will redirect cyclists around the circumscribed area, requiring them in some cases to take winding alternative routes. — Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Feb. 2026

Yes, their lives have become this circumscribed. — Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 31 Jan. 2026

Thompson-Hernández acknowledges that while Watts might be a small community, a relative sliver of greater Los Angeles, imagination flourishes in the most circumscribed places. — Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 29 Jan. 2026

Joan understands that their circumscribed lives now give their eternity its meaning. — Jp Mangalindan, Time, 26 Nov. 2025

In reality, as for most visiting celebrities, her itinerary was narrowly circumscribed. — Zak Cheney-Rice, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2025

While Swift’s life is extraordinary, it’s also cloistered by wealth and celebrity; perhaps the range of feelings she’s allowed to experience has become circumscribed. — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025

Verb

But as an American of Chinese heritage, her travel was circumscribed by the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882-1943). — Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026

In the course of the film, Hargitay reevaluates her mom, forming a fuller picture of how Mansfield’s career choices were circumscribed by the egregious sexism of the 1950s and ‘60s. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026

Representatives from hostile states like Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea are circumscribed in their movements, typically limited to a small radius around their official posts—an embassy, a consulate, a permanent mission to the UN. — Adam Ciralsky, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026

Eventually, the area in the Pentagon where reporters were allowed was circumscribed to a single corridor outside the press room – even though the public affairs officers who worked most closely with reporters were in an office on the other side of the 6½-million-square-foot building. — Kathy Kiely, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2026

Under the Constitution, the concept of a militia is a specific and narrowly circumscribed one. — Larry Pino, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Feb. 2026

But the apartheid regime became a police state that heavily circumscribed its white citizens’ lives, too. — Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026

Their sovereign capacity to realign is circumscribed by the very architectures that protect them. — Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Time, 15 Jan. 2026

Only one major financial institution is currently investing in a presence downtown, defined as the area circumscribed by I-35, I-30, I-45 and Woodall Rogers Freeway. — Sasha Richie, Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026