1
as in restriction
something that limits one's freedom of action or choice
such circumscriptions on the freedom of speech are antithetical to a free and open society
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in limitation
the act or practice of keeping something (as an activity) within certain boundaries
electronic monitoring bracelets are sometimes used to impose a circumscription of movement on people awaiting trial
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Recent Examples of circumscription
Thanks to its constitutional provenance, presidential pardon power faces little legal circumscription and minimal disclosure requirements for clemency advocacy efforts.
—
Willem Marx,
Vanity Fair,
18 Feb. 2026
That said, the impact of Mr. Cervas’s circumscription has already been profound, creating the likelihood of highly competitive general-election campaigns from Long Island to upstate New York.
—
New York Times,
28 May 2022
Their circumscription, however, does not make Assad’s current priorities less dangerous.
—
Lina Khatib,
Foreign Affairs,
17 Jan. 2020
Longtime readers of the site, though, have noted that the site no longer functions this way, in part because the Internet isn’t currently a space conducive to blinders and circumscription.
—
Ross Scarano,
Billboard,
6 May 2019
REM candidates made the second round in 453 circumscriptions and its MoDem allies qualified in another 62.
—
Gregory Viscusi,
Bloomberg.com,
18 June 2017
Conditions explicitly accounted by our model include warfare, circumscription, variation in productivity between different local communities, ability to generate surpluses, ability to delegate power, and restrictions on the growth of polities due to scalar stress.
—
Razib Khan,
Discover Magazine,
20 Jan. 2011
Willem Marx,
Vanity Fair,
18 Feb. 2026
That said, the impact of Mr. Cervas’s circumscription has already been profound, creating the likelihood of highly competitive general-election campaigns from Long Island to upstate New York.
—
New York Times,
28 May 2022
Their circumscription, however, does not make Assad’s current priorities less dangerous.
—
Lina Khatib,
Foreign Affairs,
17 Jan. 2020
Longtime readers of the site, though, have noted that the site no longer functions this way, in part because the Internet isn’t currently a space conducive to blinders and circumscription.
—
Ross Scarano,
Billboard,
6 May 2019
REM candidates made the second round in 453 circumscriptions and its MoDem allies qualified in another 62.
—
Gregory Viscusi,
Bloomberg.com,
18 June 2017
Conditions explicitly accounted by our model include warfare, circumscription, variation in productivity between different local communities, ability to generate surpluses, ability to delegate power, and restrictions on the growth of polities due to scalar stress.
—
Razib Khan,
Discover Magazine,
20 Jan. 2011
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumscription
Noun
-
Last week, the UK government banned social media for under-16s starting next year, modeling its restrictions on those set by the Australian government in December.
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Some of the restrictions were partially or fully reversed after public backlash and court challenges.
Noun
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But the industry groups are still arguing that film credits should be entirely exempt from the new limitations, as they have already been accounted for and approved by the Legislature through 2030.
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Sometimes our limitations arrive uninvited.
Noun
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Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington are included in the states opting out, with the majority citing budget constraints in their reasoning.
-
However, the dream of fully sovereign AI inevitably runs up against hard constraints around compute, capital, and energy.
Cite this Entry
“Circumscription.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumscription. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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