confined 1 of 2

adjective

kən-ˈfīnd How to pronounce confined (audio)
Definition of confinednext
as in imprisoned
taken and held prisoner confined citizens have basic rights under that nation's constitution

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

confined

2 of 2

verb

past tense of confine
1
as in restricted
to set bounds or an upper limit for will confine my remarks to the subject we came here to discuss

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in jailed
to put in or as if in prison the accused was confined until the trial could take place

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of confined
Adjective
Its strength lies in analyzing vast datasets within a confined set of rules and providing recommendations based on observed patterns. — Ryan Johnson, Forbes.com, 13 May 2026 Ignoring Vertical Space Keeping everything at eye level creates a compressed, horizontal feel that can make a small bathroom seem shorter and more confined. — Angelika Pokovba, Martha Stewart, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
Most of that reading, though, should be kept off the page or confined to the gentlest cross-hatching. — Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026 In 1988, 27-year-old Japanese American graphic artist Karen Toshima was killed by a stray bullet during a gang confrontation on Broxton Avenue, shocking Angelenos who had treated gun violence as a problem largely confined to poor parts of the city. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for confined
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confined
  1. imprisoned
  2. restricted
  3. jailed
  4. captive
  5. limited
  6. interned
  7. incarcerated
Adjective
  • Last year, the PKK — considered a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies — announced its decision to disband, following a call by its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The move came in response to a call from its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Ocalan.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of imprisoned
Verb
  • The prosecutor general’s office has stopped updating crime data; the Treasury has ceased publishing detailed budget information; and the central bank has restricted disclosure of international reserves.
    — Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The GaN-on-silicon structure used by the team restricted the maximum breakdown voltage, meaning different substrates could potentially allow the devices to go even higher.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of restricted
Verb
  • İmamoğlu was jailed and formally disqualified from public office.
    — Nick TaborAll, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Many other leading activists were also jailed under the same law, including former media tycoon Jimmy Lai.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of jailed
Adjective
  • Other Surrealists, meanwhile, seemed to take from animals a license to exploit other (generally female) bodies, as in Clovis Trouille’sJustine(1937), in which both a naked female figure and a lion are bound and captive.
    — Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • When a regulated utility builds the same project, overruns are passed to captive customers.
    — Joshua Macey, Hartford Courant, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of captive
Verb
  • One of the biggest advantages of owning your own stadium is no longer being a tenant, which has limited control over revenue.
    — Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • However, their effectiveness may be limited when targets appear at close range or operate in environments where reaction time and maneuvering space are restricted.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of limited
Verb
  • Johnson hired a young Ossoff as a staffer on the recommendation of the late Georgia Congressman John Lewis, the civil rights icon Ossoff interned for and considered a mentor.
    — Sam Gringlas, NPR, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Black Americans were struggling against the legacy of Jim Crow, and Abdeen interned with Ernest Goodman, a civil-rights lawyer who was reviving the National Lawyers Guild, a collective of progressive legal professionals.
    — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of interned
Verb
  • Robert Guarnieri, Ramsey’s attorney, previously said in court that Brumley met Wehdah while she was incarcerated at Louisville’s jail and later arranged a date with him.
    — Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Sep. 2026
  • At the request of Kapoor’s attorney, the judge recommended to the Bureau of Prisons that Kapoor be incarcerated near Atlanta, where Kapoor’s family is located.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of incarcerated

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confined
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Cite this Entry

“Confined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confined. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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