1
as in confined
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
2
as in constricted
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in hampered
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
having to constantly entertain guests at the summer cottage was really cramping my writing efforts
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 cramped
Jack Denton, Vulture, 30 Dec. 2025
Designer Pam Hutter agrees, noting that dark gray can make spaces feel cramped and dreary, particularly in small rooms.
—Cori Sears, The Spruce, 29 Dec. 2025
As a New Yorker herself, Bellizzi treasured envisioning the cramped Lower East Side milieu that opens the film.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 23 Dec. 2025
There is a wry, sardonic Reinerian sensibility to be found in all of his best work, even in the cramped and frightening confines of Misery (1990).
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 15 Dec. 2025
Skeptical journalists, excitable influencers, and industry insiders alike all climbed aboard an open-top bus for a sightseeing tour of London that culminated at a cramped and stifling-hot theater.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 7 Dec. 2025
For example, declarants have described while in DHS custody being forced to sleep in a freezing and cramped room without bedding, Julio Doe Decl.
—New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025
Hong Kong has about 368,000 such workers, mostly women from low-income Asian countries who live with their employers, often in cramped spaces.
—Jessie Pang, USA Today, 29 Nov. 2025
Spoon rolls date back to the early 1900s on railroad cars because even in the cramped train kitchens, they could be scooped and baked without rising, rolling, or cutting.
—Anne Byrn, Southern Living, 22 Nov. 2025
Chrissie McClatchie, Travel + Leisure, 5 Jan. 2026
The less cramped during meal prep, the better.
—Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 2 Jan. 2026
Keeping in the same position for a long period of time, especially if cramped or uncomfortable, can also lead to muscles tensing up and feeling tight.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 26 Dec. 2025
The future didn’t look like old, cramped industrial cities.
—Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
Molly’s world comes to life in performances from Rob Delaney, Robby Hoffman, Esco Jouléy, Paula Pell, and David Rasche, who turn a show that could come off as cramped and maudlin into a story that feels expansive, joyful, illuminating.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
The Centurion Lounge at LaGuardia was nice, with refreshing lemon-cucumber water, but a little cramped.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Court documents alleged unclean conditions, painful procedures without proper medication, and cramped living quarters for the animals.
—Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 30 Oct. 2025
The arrangement was only supposed to last four to five months, but they were all cramped together in a one-bedroom apartment.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Lopatin and Safdie spent around four months in the summer and fall of 2025 working on the score in a cramped midtown studio.
—Jack Denton, Vulture, 30 Dec. 2025
Designer Pam Hutter agrees, noting that dark gray can make spaces feel cramped and dreary, particularly in small rooms.
—Cori Sears, The Spruce, 29 Dec. 2025
As a New Yorker herself, Bellizzi treasured envisioning the cramped Lower East Side milieu that opens the film.
—Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 23 Dec. 2025
There is a wry, sardonic Reinerian sensibility to be found in all of his best work, even in the cramped and frightening confines of Misery (1990).
—Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 15 Dec. 2025
Skeptical journalists, excitable influencers, and industry insiders alike all climbed aboard an open-top bus for a sightseeing tour of London that culminated at a cramped and stifling-hot theater.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 7 Dec. 2025
For example, declarants have described while in DHS custody being forced to sleep in a freezing and cramped room without bedding, Julio Doe Decl.
—New York Times, 2 Dec. 2025
Hong Kong has about 368,000 such workers, mostly women from low-income Asian countries who live with their employers, often in cramped spaces.
—Jessie Pang, USA Today, 29 Nov. 2025
Spoon rolls date back to the early 1900s on railroad cars because even in the cramped train kitchens, they could be scooped and baked without rising, rolling, or cutting.
—Anne Byrn, Southern Living, 22 Nov. 2025
Verb
Our family of four was split between two Ocean View Balcony staterooms which, while compact, never felt cramped, with good storage in the cupboards, a TV with live-channels and pay-per-view movies, a desk, fridge, sofa area, and decent-sized bathroom.
—Chrissie McClatchie, Travel + Leisure, 5 Jan. 2026
The less cramped during meal prep, the better.
—Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 2 Jan. 2026
Keeping in the same position for a long period of time, especially if cramped or uncomfortable, can also lead to muscles tensing up and feeling tight.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 26 Dec. 2025
The future didn’t look like old, cramped industrial cities.
—Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
Molly’s world comes to life in performances from Rob Delaney, Robby Hoffman, Esco Jouléy, Paula Pell, and David Rasche, who turn a show that could come off as cramped and maudlin into a story that feels expansive, joyful, illuminating.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
The Centurion Lounge at LaGuardia was nice, with refreshing lemon-cucumber water, but a little cramped.
—Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
Court documents alleged unclean conditions, painful procedures without proper medication, and cramped living quarters for the animals.
—Laura Schulte, jsonline.com, 30 Oct. 2025
The arrangement was only supposed to last four to five months, but they were all cramped together in a one-bedroom apartment.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cramped
Adjective
-
That makes the technology attractive for confined environments, such as ships and spacecraft, according to the Institute of Mechanics.—
Sam Stevenson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Nov. 2025
-
Given how much of the story takes place in a confined setting, when one character launches themselves across a table to attack another, the moment is breathtaking.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
This isn’t the first time injuries have hampered Norfleet.—
Chase Gemes,
Kansas City Star,
7 Nov. 2025
-
All of these issues combined have left Target with a workforce that has grown faster than sales and a complex corporate structure that has hampered decision-making and created needless red tape.—
Gabrielle Fonrouge,Annie Palmer,Frank Holland,
CNBC,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The company plans a limited run of 500 units, with deliveries targeted for August 2027.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Jan. 2026
-
In addition to the Protein Milk, a series of limited-edition merchandise drops and partnerships launched today.—
Katie Hill,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As a result, the water vapor in that impeded breath condenses on the surface of your immediately-adjacent prescription glasses, sunglasses or ski goggles.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
5 Jan. 2026
-
Adding palbociclib, however, blocked this adaptation and impeded the cancer cells’ ability to survive.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
31 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Fort Worth commanders placed Johnson on restricted duty for the duration of the incomplete criminal and Internal Affairs Unit administrative investigations, according to a department spokesperson.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Under Soviet rule, Dnipro had been a hub of the USSR’s military and space industries and a closed high security city with restricted access.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Historically, the water’s purity was singular, giving life to a watershed that flourished because of a unique paucity of nutrients, a situation that hindered the pursuit of any single species that would dominate the rest.—
Amy Green,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Normally, scent voices are mere whispers compared to the screams and angry shouts of humans, but in that section, certain sensitive plant species shrieked incessantly because of their proximity to plants that hindered their growth.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
During this time frame, a narrow, intense lake-effect snow band, only about 10 miles wide, will be capable of thunder, wind gusts near 35 mph and near-zero visibility at its peak.—
Briana Waxman,
CNN Money,
10 Nov. 2025
-
The climb is infamous for its heart-pumping switchbacks and vertiginous jaunt along a narrow sliver of crag.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
French authorities have arrested several suspects after a frantic manhunt for the men who staged a spectacular daytime heist at the Louvre museum that gripped the world and embarrassed the government in Paris.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
-
The Revolution provided a brief scare through a 59th-minute goal from Dor Turgeman, who embarrassed a defender before curling home a spectacular effort, but Inter Miami broke the tie almost immediately after the strike that made the score 2-1.—
Franco Panizo,
Miami Herald,
5 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cramped.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cramped. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share