CONSTRAIN Synonyms: 95 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How is the word 'constrain' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of constrain are coerce , compel , force , and oblige . While all these words mean "to make someone or something yield," constrain suggests the effect of a force or circumstance that limits freedom of action or choice. // constrained by conscience

Q: When could 'coerce' be used to replace 'constrain'?

Although the words coerce and constrain have much in common, coerce suggests overcoming resistance or unwillingness by actual or threatened violence or pressure. // coerced into signing over the rights

Q: When would 'compel' be a good substitute for 'constrain'?

The meanings of compel and constrain largely overlap; however, compel typically suggests overcoming of resistance or unwillingness by an irresistible force. // compelled to admit my mistake

Q: Where would 'force' be a reasonable alternative to 'constrain'?

While the synonyms force and constrain are close in meaning, force is the general term and implies the overcoming of resistance by the exertion of strength, power, or duress. // forced to flee for their lives

Q: When is 'oblige' a more appropriate choice than 'constrain'?

In some situations, the words oblige and constrain are roughly equivalent. However, oblige implies the constraint of necessity, law, or duty. // felt obliged to go

constrain

verb

kən-ˈstrān

Definition of constrain

as in to compel

to cause (a person) to give in to pressure constrained by conscience to tell only the truth

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to regulate

to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression) constrained his anger at the needless interruption

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word constrain different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of constrain are coerce, compel, force, and oblige. While all these words mean "to make someone or something yield," constrain suggests the effect of a force or circumstance that limits freedom of action or choice.

constrained by conscience

When could coerce be used to replace constrain?

Although the words coerce and constrain have much in common, coerce suggests overcoming resistance or unwillingness by actual or threatened violence or pressure.

coerced into signing over the rights

When would compel be a good substitute for constrain?

The meanings of compel and constrain largely overlap; however, compel typically suggests overcoming of resistance or unwillingness by an irresistible force.

compelled to admit my mistake

Where would force be a reasonable alternative to constrain?

While the synonyms force and constrain are close in meaning, force is the general term and implies the overcoming of resistance by the exertion of strength, power, or duress.

forced to flee for their lives

When is oblige a more appropriate choice than constrain?

In some situations, the words oblige and constrain are roughly equivalent. However, oblige implies the constraint of necessity, law, or duty.

felt obliged to go

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 constrain The impact is expected to persist through the weekend, adding fresh supply anxieties to a global refined products market that is already tightly constrained. — CNBC, 16 Sep. 2026 Done well, pricing and packaging can improve margins without reducing service quality or constraining growth. — Basant Singh, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026 Oil shipments from the region are still constrained, keeping global energy prices high. — Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026 Employers are freezing or cutting hiring, with the steepest declines concentrated in middle- and entry-level roles, effectively constraining household earnings exactly when energy and living costs are surging. — Katica Roy, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for constrain

Recent Examples of Synonyms for constrain

Verb

Travelers are compelled to show their documents to soldiers or regime officials manning the checkpoints.

— Andrew Nachemson, The Dial, 22 Sep. 2026
But with no power to compel answers from the administration, they’ve been given little information about the deals.

— Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of compel

Verb

Unlike conventional sports books, which operate on the basis of licenses issued by states, Kalshi and Polymarket argue they are exclusively regulated at a federal level by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

— Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 24 Sep. 2026
Sanders and Casar’s proposal would therefore shift the question from how to regulate superintelligence to whether the United States should permit its development at all.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of regulate

Verb

By filing that brief handwritten petition, Kohberger is putting himself in the category of many criminal defendants before him, who have argued after the fact that their guilty pleas were coerced.

— Mark Guarino, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
Williams also asked Saab whether anyone had threatened or coerced him into changing his plea.

— Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of coerce

Verb

The Hurricanes’ defense made a big stand, forcing a holding in the end zone for a safety.

— Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland argues that artworks made by prisoners forced to do so in Nazi concentration camps are not their legal property.

— Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of force

Verb

Before scrambling to control the reaction, decide whether the attention is actually a problem.

— Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 20 Sep. 2026
Fears that Iran and its close ally, the Houthis, effectively control two of the world’s most important maritime choke points rattled global energy markets.

— Kareem Fahim, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of control

Verb

Throughout his opinion, Carter repeatedly described the deferential standard of review judges are obligated to follow under the Federal Arbitration Act.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 23 Sep. 2026
City staff told commissioners that the development agreement obligates the developer to build a bridge.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of obligate

Verb

The incident Sunday involved the top fashion executive forcibly restraining two employees of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and putting his hands over their mouths at the runway show for Cos, a brand owned by H&M.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
Autopsy photos displayed in court revealed welts, bruises and scars all over the boy’s body, and police found ropes and chains in the apartment that witnesses said were used to restrain him.

— Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of restrain

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constitutive

constrain

constrained

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“Constrain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/constrain. Accessed 24 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of constrain

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