constraining

verb

present participle of constrain
1
as in forcing
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
2
as in regulating
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

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 constraining The Clippers can continue to build a younger and more robust roster without his contract constraining their spending power. — Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 Tuesday's vote ended with 189 voting in favor and 235 voting in opposition of constraining the president's authority. — Alex Sundby, CBS News, 30 June 2026 The deal focused overwhelmingly on constraining Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for gradual sanctions relief. — Vivian Salama, The Atlantic, 27 June 2026 When temperatures plunge, demand for gas surges at the same time that wells, pipelines, and processing equipment can freeze, constraining supply and driving prices higher. — Julianna Larue, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2026 Dealing with this issue commonly involves constraining model outputs. — ArsTechnica, 8 June 2026 But Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon, expects that wage growth could come under pressure, constraining future consumer spending. — Sarah Min, CNBC, 29 May 2026 Taking the unprecedented step of constraining proxy advisor influence through exchange-level rules is a key part of that mission. — James H. Lee, Fortune, 28 May 2026 The conflict looms large over the film’s Kosovar Albanian teens — as does institutionalized discrimination against them — but Basholli’s intentionally blinkered focus, through the eyes of her 13-year-old protagonist, proves constraining and liberating all at once. — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 13 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for constraining
  1. forcing
  2. regulating
  3. coercing
  4. controlling
  5. compelling
  6. curbing
  7. obligating
  8. containing
Verb
  • From here, the Manchester City defender sprints into the six-yard box to meet the corner, forcing a good save from Dominik Livakovic, with his team-mates unable to scramble the ball over the line.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • Meanwhile, raging forest fires and a red-alert heat wave are shaking up France’s biggest national holiday, forcing the cancellation of traditional fireworks and firefighters’ balls.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2026
Definition of forcing
Verb
  • Councilman Tom Flight cast the lone dissenting vote, warning that government should be cautious about regulating the display of art on private property, even when the work is unusually large.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 13 July 2026
  • But even that law is largely focused on ensuring the proper facility and environment for grooming, not regulating groomer technique or experience.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 13 July 2026
Definition of regulating
Verb
  • Travis Reed, who was a fire captain with the now-defunct Briar Volunteer Fire Department, admitted to coercing a minor into producing child pornography in September, according to a summary of facts in the case.
    — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 June 2026
  • The Justice Against Weaponized Bureaucratic Overreach to Networked Expression Act would prohibit federal agencies and employees from coercing or trying to coerce broadcasters and providers of online services or AI services into changing content.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 11 June 2026
Definition of coercing
Verb
  • Sacramento dominated the game on the stat sheet, controlling 65% of the possession and outpassing Boise by a 2-to-1 margin.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 12 July 2026
  • Managing those demands — simplifying decisions, controlling tempo and conserving energy — may be as much a feature of playing in the heat as the physical strain itself.
    — Alan McCall, New York Times, 11 July 2026
Definition of controlling
Verb
  • His mission is to keep photos of the lounge off social media, compelling the curious to come in and see it for themselves.
    — John Wenzel, Denver Post, 8 July 2026
  • The surge in chip investment and demand has reignited economic growth and inflation, compelling the Bank of Korea (BOK) to consider aggressive rate hikes.
    — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Definition of compelling
Verb
  • Opposition parties and human rights organizations have accused Erdogan of undermining democracy and curbing freedom of expression.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026
  • These Forme shorts activate the glutes and abs through biofeedback while curbing joint stress.
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 25 June 2026
Definition of curbing
Verb
  • Your 11th House of Friends lights up as the life-giving Sun energizes that area, squaring obligating Saturn in your 8th House of Intimacy and Shared Resources.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 6 July 2026
  • The unions argue that carrying out permanent layoffs during a funding lapse violates the Antideficiency Act, which bars agencies from obligating funds without congressional authorization, and exceeds executive authority under the Administrative Procedure Act.
    — Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Definition of obligating
Verb
  • The results showed that chewing sugar-containing gum after beetroot juice made saliva more acidic than chewing sugar-free gum did.
    — Jennifer Klump, Verywell Health, 17 July 2026
  • The technique is already being tested with ytterbium-containing molecules and is expected to be applied to radium in future studies.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 July 2026
Definition of containing

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Cite this Entry

“Constraining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/constraining. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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