1
as in restraint
the checking of one's true feelings and impulses when dealing with others
in civilized society people do not just say or do whatever they feel like—they exercise some constraint
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in restriction
something that limits one's freedom of action or choice
put legal constraints on the board's activities
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in pressure
the use of power to impose one's will on another
parental constraint can take several different forms, including a denial of the approval that children usually seek from their parents
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of constraint
Lee Martino’s choreography, like the production as a whole, is at its best when observing decorous constraints.
—
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Former West Ham United winger Stan Lazaridis is director of football at Perth Glory, where the Australian club fish in different waters due to financial constraints.
—Adam Leventhal, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
Contributors write about building companies, navigating complex careers, managing responsibility, and making decisions under constraint.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 31 Jan. 2026
Renaming the event Sundance—as opposed to, say, the Park City Film Festival—liberated it from the nomenclatural constraints of a single defining location like Cannes, Venice, or Toronto.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for constraint
Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Former West Ham United winger Stan Lazaridis is director of football at Perth Glory, where the Australian club fish in different waters due to financial constraints.
—Adam Leventhal, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
Contributors write about building companies, navigating complex careers, managing responsibility, and making decisions under constraint.
—Connie Etemadi, USA Today, 31 Jan. 2026
Renaming the event Sundance—as opposed to, say, the Park City Film Festival—liberated it from the nomenclatural constraints of a single defining location like Cannes, Venice, or Toronto.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for constraint
Recent Examples of Synonyms for constraint
Noun
-
The Forever Fleece Wide-leg Pants are the perfect addition to your travel wear, offering an extra roomy fit, plush fleece fabric, and unbeatable softness for all-day wear with no restraint.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Jan. 2026
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That action demonstrates enthusiasm in the turnaround, tempered by some restraint around where the multiyear targets ultimately land.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Joining him in the back-to-back restriction club was Al Horford, who has played well recently and scored in double figures in three of his last four games.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
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Quayle said that partially because of new restrictions on Newark flying, United will have aircraft available.—
Ted Reed,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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As priorities are refreshed and budgets defended, the pressure to demonstrate productivity in visible ways becomes the default response.—
Dilan Gomih,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Thermal and pressure bonding of a capping layer The research team showed that thermal and pressure bonding of a capping layer to a perovskite surface suppresses defect initiation from iodide loss and enhances long-term stability.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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This season, Vonn historically won two more downhill races – becoming the oldest World Cup race winner ever – and leads the season World Cup standings in the discipline.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
3 Feb. 2026
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Then Goodell pumped the brakes on a full investigation of the matter and on Tisch possibly facing discipline under the league’s personal conduct policy.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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For example, there are income limitations on tax-free tips, and only up to $25,000 of tips per return can be tax free.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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That’s not to mention the physical limitations of an extremely bulky spacesuit, which could physically tax astronauts even more than stepping outside of the International Space Station during a spacewalk.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
James, not unlike his alcoholic father, is at the mercy of his compulsions.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Conditional Belonging Leads To Compulsive Giving A 2019 study on attachment and development points to a common origin story for this compulsion.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
20 Jan. 2026
Noun
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During the administration of former strongman Nicolás Maduro, El Helicoide became one of the most emblematic symbols of political repression in Venezuela.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
31 Jan. 2026
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The incentives favor repression over law.—
Binaifer Nowrojee,
Time,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In the brain scans of other extreme athletes and adrenaline junkies, Amen said there’s often lower baseline activity in the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in fear inhibition, impulse control and risk evaluation.—
Angelica Stabile,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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Narcissists sometimes get worse with age, as their remaining inhibitions fall away.—
David Brooks,
Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Constraint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/constraint. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
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