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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of 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
Washingtonians are already sensitive about their circumscribed rights.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 9 Aug. 2025
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
Like other forms of self expression, digital-communication technology has become dangerously circumscribed under Trump; only the tools that exist independent of Big Tech seem like safe bets for dissent.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2025
But recently, Ware said that attacks have been circumscribed to far fewer victims - even when there was the opportunity to kill more.
—NPR, 25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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
Washingtonians are already sensitive about their circumscribed rights.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 9 Aug. 2025
Verb
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
Like other forms of self expression, digital-communication technology has become dangerously circumscribed under Trump; only the tools that exist independent of Big Tech seem like safe bets for dissent.
—Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2025
But recently, Ware said that attacks have been circumscribed to far fewer victims - even when there was the opportunity to kill more.
—NPR, 25 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumscribed
Adjective
-
Gittens was always going to need to build fitness after limited involvement at the Club World Cup and in the second half of the season at Dortmund, while Garnacho’s single-mindedness will not be news to anybody who watched him at United.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Right now, members-only prices start at $6—but only for a limited time.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That design was the signature motif of Emperor Wenzong, who restricted it for his personal use during his reign from 1328 to 1332, according to the study.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Schools closed, travel was restricted and the city ground to a slow crawl under heavy white blankets for about a day.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
No one religious or spiritual practice appeared to be more protective against addiction, but the risk reduction was higher for people who regularly engaged in a spiritual or religious community, defined as weekly attendance at a religious service.—
Jen Christensen,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The stakes are high as the industry awaits whether the new collection will signal a departure from the bold, intricate aesthetic that defined Olivier Rousteing’s 14-year tenure at the house.—
Laure Guilbault,
Vogue,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
But signals don’t go from the generating source to the observer instantaneously; all physical signals propagate at a finite speed, with the fastest possible speed being the speed of light in a vacuum, c, or 299,792,458 m/s.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
25 Feb. 2026
-
The number of rational points on a curve that is one degree higher, degree 3, is sometimes infinite and sometimes finite.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Today’s onslaught of racist ideology isn’t just confined to rhetoric.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The Khlong Hat bent-toed gecko may be small, nocturnal and confined to one district in eastern Thailand.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
On February 13th, Grace Van Patten and Jackson White and Grace Gummer and Mark Ronson watched Veronica Leoni’s Calvin Klein Collection come down the runway, while Rebecca Hall and Morgan Spector bounded between Fforme and Kallmeyer.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Information would go from bounded to ubiquitous.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
But equal time itself is narrower than many assume.—
Jay Caruso,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Feb. 2026
-
This lamp has an ultraslim frame, ideal for a narrow bedroom or tight reading nook.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Circumscribed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumscribed. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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