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
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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
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
-
China replied with a limited list of individual companies that were allowed to sell to China, but without explanation.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
People may benefit from a structured, straightforward assessment process conducted by qualified professionals, offering faster access and easier navigation compared to traditional models with long waitlists and limited specialists.—
Lucy Jones
April 11,
Miami Herald,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
With such a focus on what’s happening inside Robby’s head, an already claustrophobic show stuck inside the boundaries of a single set on a single day has gotten even more restricted.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
-
In 2021, California restricted the use of less lethal munitions until alternatives to force have been tried to control a crowd.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Under Pew’s approach, the middle class can mathematically shrink even when everyone’s income rises substantially — because membership is defined by closeness to a median that keeps moving up.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Yes, Justin Bieber is back—and so too are the fringed bras, butterfly bags, and low-rise jeans that defined the era.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
On Tuesday, however, the Lakers focused on those finite details that might be the difference between scraping out wins against the Rockets or a quick hello and goodbye to postseason basketball.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Like school districts across the country, CPS is forced to manage a finite pool of resources against an infinite rise in demand.—
Megan De Mar,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Prosecutors wanted Gaff confined indefinitely under a new state law targeting violent rapists and child molesters who had finished their prison terms but were deemed likely to reoffend.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
-
But while some observers assumed the immediate pain would be confined to agricultural producers or states heavily reliant on international supply chains, the shock proved far more widespread.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The region bounded by the hexagon began to turn a brownish-yellow, losing all trace of its initially blue appearance.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
15 Apr. 2026
-
San Diego’s Civic Center is the four-block, municipal compound bounded by A Street and C Street to the north and south, and First Avenue and Third Avenue to the east and west.—
Jennifer Van Grove,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The shape of a pot affects drainage, with taller, narrower pots draining better than shorter, wider ones.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, previously handled about 20 percent of the world’s oil shipments.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Circumscribed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumscribed. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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