1
as in limiting
to set bounds or an upper limit for
circumscribed his enthusiasm so as not to make the losing side feel worse
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in defining
to mark the limits of
Lake Michigan circumscribes the city of Chicago on the east
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Recent Examples of circumscribing
This wouldn’t be the first time the Court has avoided a head-on fight with the other branches, especially after Congress makes noise about circumscribing its authority.
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Time, 14 Nov. 2025
Time, 14 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumscribing
Verb
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Iran has also imposed widespread internet and telephone blackouts during the protests, limiting visibility into the situation on the ground.—
Mitchell McCluskey,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
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Nevertheless, the McAlarneys admit that keeping their children away from smartphones and limiting technology is easier said than done, especially in today’s digital age.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
PEOPLE,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Longbow believes weight has become the defining problem across the car industry.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Jan. 2026
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Many who lost their homes — including generations of Black locals who gave the mountain town a defining part of its identity for decades — remain displaced.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But efforts to mitigate human harms—restricting harvests, remodeling dams, breeding salmon in hatcheries—are yielding diminishing returns.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
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The onerous covenants include, among others, restricting WBD’s ability to modify, renew or terminate affiliation agreements.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Circumscribing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumscribing. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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