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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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
Their circumscription, however, does not make Assad’s current priorities less dangerous.
—
Lina Khatib, Foreign Affairs, 17 Jan. 2020
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
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
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
Lina Khatib, Foreign Affairs, 17 Jan. 2020
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumscription
Noun
-
At the center of the disagreement is Max, a six-year-old German Shepherd who’s been staying with her boyfriend’s parents due to previous apartment restrictions.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
1 June 2025
-
Airlines like Malaysia's AirAsia announced similar restrictions on portable chargers on April 1, while Thailand’s Thai Airways also introduced comparable rules in recent months.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
31 May 2025
Noun
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But its biggest shortcoming is its range limitations, i.e., geofencing (see this map).—
Brooke Crothers,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
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The executive director will be limited to serving two four-year terms, however, a limitation not imposed on other watchdog agencies such as the Freedom of Information Commission.—
Mark Pazniokas,
Hartford Courant,
5 June 2025
Noun
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The launch date is dependent on spacecraft traffic to the ISS and in-orbit activity planning and constraints that have to be coordinated with NASA.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
7 June 2025
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The dating of ancient manuscripts is an extremely difficult problem, with sparse data and heavy constraints on access and expertise.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN Money,
7 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Circumscription.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumscription. Accessed 13 Jun. 2025.
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