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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in defined
to mark the limits of
Lake Michigan circumscribes the city of Chicago on the east
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of circumscribed
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
Barrett understood its more circumscribed project.
—Stefan Fatsis, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2025
There’s a circumscribed way to open the soju bottle, a correct way to pour and drink.
—Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
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
No matter their financial situation, these characters are circumscribed by their situations (class, responsibilities, families) and desire more—or something else entirely.
—Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 15 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
Each of Cicellis’s young protagonists arrives at the grim realization that their life is circumscribed not by a god but by the pull of obligation to an undeserving parent or mentor.
—Rachel Vorona Cote, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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
Barrett understood its more circumscribed project.
—Stefan Fatsis, The Atlantic, 13 Sep. 2025
There’s a circumscribed way to open the soju bottle, a correct way to pour and drink.
—Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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
No matter their financial situation, these characters are circumscribed by their situations (class, responsibilities, families) and desire more—or something else entirely.
—Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 15 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
Each of Cicellis’s young protagonists arrives at the grim realization that their life is circumscribed not by a god but by the pull of obligation to an undeserving parent or mentor.
—Rachel Vorona Cote, The Atlantic, 5 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumscribed
Adjective
-
For example, Vermont legislators have introduced legislation requiring that tech products used in school be registered and certified with the Secretary of State to prove limited data collection and the absence of addictive algorithms.—
Abby McCloskey,
Boston Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The City of Miami granted Nu Stadium a limited event permit, which is limited to that day, with specific hours, restrictions and additional precautions.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Those who fly the small, lightweight aircraft of different stripes were restricted for nearly four years from accessing the airport by ground and taking off in their ultralights.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Currently, tipping is restricted to patrons who place orders in-store and at the drive-thru and pay with cash, credit cards, or mobile transactions via Starbucks cards.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Though far from germane to Boston, his lengthy track record of controversy on the diamond is perhaps most defined by his spikes-up slide into second baseman Dustin Pedroia during a 2017 Red Sox-Orioles game.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
-
The agency’s modern-day role was defined in 1962, after thalidomide caused birth defects in thousands of babies around the world.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
At RiseBoro Community Partnership, the work is building affordable housing across New York City — in neighborhoods with acute need and finite resources, where every dollar of unnecessary cost and every month of unnecessary delay has real consequences.—
Melanie La Rocca,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
But before the current shortage started, there was already a finite supply on Earth.—
Regina G. Barber,
NPR,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Rio state military fire department said the blaze was under control and largely confined to the venue’s fabric roof.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
But Hungary’s importance to the American Right isn’t confined to a few corners of the internet.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The area is bounded by the Interstate 485/Providence Road interchange and extends south to the South Carolina state line.—
Chase Jordan
April 7,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Apr. 2026
-
David Duran blasted a shot from 25 yards out that hit the crossbar and bounded back in play where Jared Contreras headed it over to Garza who headed it into the net.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
One stretch of narrow country road leading north out of the town of Clones in the Republic, for example, goes through Northern Ireland for some yards before reverting to the Republic.—
Colm Tóibín,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
-
That's because the radio waves are emanating over a wider range of directions rather than just in a narrow cone from the poles.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
3 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Circumscribed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumscribed. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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