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
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
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
-
Both Poland and Latvia announced new restrictions on Thursday.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Once magnets for buyers seeking sunshine – and often looser Covid restrictions – demand has started to cool off in these states.—
CNN.com Wire Service,
Mercury News,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
That limitation has capped how much carbon plants can lock away.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Gulf states like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the UAE could utilize their vast sovereign wealth funds to impose trade limitations on Israel.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The network denied the claims but admitted it was edited due to time constraints.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
The Washington Examiner,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The credit rating agency put the rise down to policy weaknesses, market constraints, and inflation, Reuters noted.—
Preeti Jha,
semafor.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Circumscription.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumscription. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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