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
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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
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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
April 26 is no exception, as Mars opposes Pluto (for the second time since November 2024), highlighting a deep power struggle between the desire for growth and investment vs. the challenges that could come with financial constraints.
—
Valerie Mesa, People.com, 3 Apr. 2025
The vertical nature of the homes, different than a classic single-family home, reflect space constraints in much of Southern California.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025
Her father's experience as an OB/GYN provided insight into the time constraints and systemic challenges providers face.
—Geri Stengel, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
And while the interests of international law look unlikely to be served over the next four days, the trip, by virtue of its singularity, acts as a reminder of the new international constraints under which Israel’s leader now operates.
—Andrew Carey, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for constraint
Valerie Mesa, People.com, 3 Apr. 2025
The vertical nature of the homes, different than a classic single-family home, reflect space constraints in much of Southern California.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025
Her father's experience as an OB/GYN provided insight into the time constraints and systemic challenges providers face.
—Geri Stengel, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
And while the interests of international law look unlikely to be served over the next four days, the trip, by virtue of its singularity, acts as a reminder of the new international constraints under which Israel’s leader now operates.
—Andrew Carey, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for constraint
Recent Examples of Synonyms for constraint
Noun
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The chance that American attacks on Houthis could prompt attacks on Saudi Arabia and a renewal of the kingdom’s brutal war in Yemen was a chief concern of the Biden administration, a prime reason that White House operated with a degree of restraint in its strikes on Houthi targets.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
26 Mar. 2025
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Sullivan, 56, was charged with first-degree unlawful restraint, cruelty to persons and first-degree reckless endangerment.—
Livi Stanford,
Hartford Courant,
25 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Some regulators might see stablecoins as competition to or complementary with CBDCs, leading to either tighter restrictions or new forms of partnership.—
Zennon Kapron,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Other states are also debating whether to remove transfer restrictions.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
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As privacy changes reshape digital advertising and economic pressures demand greater efficiency, the cost of fragmented analysis is becoming impossible to ignore.—
Cody Greco,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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But there must have been a pressure, or at least the possibility, of staying on tour for a whole ‘nother year, if not longer, knowing the demand for it was there and then some.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Poland, ministries dictated curricula, Marxism-Leninism became mandatory across disciplines, and admissions were reengineered to favor students from loyalist backgrounds.—
Iveta Silova,
The Conversation,
9 Apr. 2025
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Ritchey sees the fantastic as the foil to the Germanic Bildungsroman, which influenced continental Romantic arts across disciplines.—
Angelica Frey,
JSTOR Daily,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Read product labels for specific uses and limitations.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2025
-
Elderly adults are more susceptible to diseases, impairments and mobility limitations that require prescription drugs and accessories like walkers, shower seats, incontinence products, pacemakers and insulin pumps.—
Madeline Mitchell,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Every Wednesday, women in Iran would film videos of themselves walking unveiled, a peaceful protest against compulsion.—
Katrina Kaufman,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2025
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Creating collages is almost a compulsion, a way for Jarmusch to escape from the world and nestle into self-reflection.—
Renée Reizman,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Documenting Jenna’s bold art and activism, this film offers a powerful, intimate look at resilience under repression.—
Hilary Lewis,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Apr. 2025
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It has been used to punish mutinies and desertion in armies, as frontier justice in America's Old West and as a tool of terror and political repression in the former Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Read More: 8 Things to Say During a Fight With Your Partner Swearing seems to help people shed their social inhibitions, according to Stephens, one of the study’s authors.—
Stacey Colino,
Time,
1 Apr. 2025
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Those raising awareness of the Arabic Facebook posts feel no such inhibition.—
Ben Sales,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Constraint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/constraint. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
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