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
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Recent Examples of constraining
Wildfire risks The same forces constraining western water supplies could also set the stage for the West's wildfire season, which has lengthened over the last few decades with rising temperatures and intensifying drought.
—
Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
The war is constraining oil exports and prompting major producers like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq to scale back output as shipments face growing obstacles.
—Arkansas Online, 15 Mar. 2026
The war is constraining oil exports and prompting major producers like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq to scale back output as shipments face growing obstacles.
—Rio Yamat, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
As for why the Legislature hasn’t done more to stem the flow of money into the system, Bakken said that constraining donors too greatly could push them to divert cash from campaign donations into commercials and mailers in support of candidates, something candidates legally can’t control.
—Rob Davis, ProPublica, 13 Mar. 2026
The final remaining treaty constraining the two largest of them, belonging to America and Russia, expired last month without being replaced.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
Workforce shortages are constraining growth in our region.
—Jeffrey Ball, Oc Register, 2 Mar. 2026
The Baltimore region has suffered too long from underinvestment in transit services — which is shackling economic growth, harming the environment and constraining quality of life for families.
—Brandon Scott, Baltimore Sun, 25 Feb. 2026
For example, by constraining itself from releasing new models, Anthropic’s original RSP also incentivized it to quickly build safety mitigations.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
The war is constraining oil exports and prompting major producers like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq to scale back output as shipments face growing obstacles.
—Arkansas Online, 15 Mar. 2026
The war is constraining oil exports and prompting major producers like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq to scale back output as shipments face growing obstacles.
—Rio Yamat, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
As for why the Legislature hasn’t done more to stem the flow of money into the system, Bakken said that constraining donors too greatly could push them to divert cash from campaign donations into commercials and mailers in support of candidates, something candidates legally can’t control.
—Rob Davis, ProPublica, 13 Mar. 2026
The final remaining treaty constraining the two largest of them, belonging to America and Russia, expired last month without being replaced.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
Workforce shortages are constraining growth in our region.
—Jeffrey Ball, Oc Register, 2 Mar. 2026
The Baltimore region has suffered too long from underinvestment in transit services — which is shackling economic growth, harming the environment and constraining quality of life for families.
—Brandon Scott, Baltimore Sun, 25 Feb. 2026
For example, by constraining itself from releasing new models, Anthropic’s original RSP also incentivized it to quickly build safety mitigations.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for constraining
Verb
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The video shows Ritchson riding on the motorbike when a man, Taylor, steps in front of the bike, forcing Ritchson to stop.—
Austin Mullen,
NBC news,
24 Mar. 2026
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Nothing might seem to have longer odds in deep-red Oklahoma than an effort to lessen punishments for violent crimes, but overcrowded prisons and rising costs were already forcing a rethinking of harsh, decades-old sentencing laws.—
Pamela Colloff,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The facility received an exemption from environmental review, leaving residents without answers about health hazards as California lawmakers debate regulating AI data centers.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2026
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Two resolutions aimed at regulating how Immigration and Customs Enforcement works within Atlanta city limits have passed a key vote in the Atlanta City Council.—
Dan Raby,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Meyers is also accused of coercing the 15-year-old into recording the high school’s wrestling team, the complaint alleges.—
Brittany Kubicko,
NBC news,
20 Feb. 2026
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Guevara and two colleagues, Mason and then-Detective Ernest Halvorson, orchestrated a frame-up by coercing one witness to identify Rios by beating him with a phone book and flashlight, and another by threatening to charge him with obstruction, according to the plaintiffs’ allegations.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The vendor chalked this up to Apple controlling the entire update stack, as opposed to Android, where updates are likely fragmented across diverse manufacturers and device types.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
28 Mar. 2026
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Lenney also advocated for controlling the demand side of the market, addressing the housing crunch by restricting who could buy homes by banning large institutions from purchasing them as investments.—
Mark Dee
March 28,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Justice Department initially said that its release, made in response to a law passed by Congress compelling the agency to disclose nearly all files related to Epstein, comprised more than 3 million pages.—
Elliott Ramos,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
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City staff, however, expressed concerns about the request, compelling the recycling plant to instead propose a new shear in the same location as the current one and reducing the new shear's size.—
Jessie Christopher Smith,
Oklahoman,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Germany’s lower house of parliament has passed initial measures on a fuel policy package aimed at curbing soaring prices due to the Iran war, including restricting gas stations to only hiking costs once per day.—
Mustafa Qadri,
CNN Money,
26 Mar. 2026
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Everyone knows by now that war in Iran is curbing the flow of oil around the world.—
Joe Weisenthal,
Bloomberg,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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This document, signed by a sponsor, is a legally enforceable contract obligating the sponsor to support the immigrant and prevent them from relying on public aid.—
Daniel Shoer Roth,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Police found a small plastic bag containing crystal powder residue that officers suspected was meth or cocaine, according to an affidavit, the Los Angeles Times reported.—
Cheryl V. Jackson,
IndyStar,
26 Mar. 2026
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Workers discovered a grave containing human remains beneath tiles after part of the floor of St Peter and Paul Church subsided in February, triggering a race to identify the skeleton through DNA testing.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Constraining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/constraining. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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