limited

adjective

lim·​it·​ed ˈli-mə-təd 

1

a

: confined within limits : restricted

limited success

b

of a train : offering faster service especially by making a limited number of stops

2

: characterized by enforceable limitations prescribed (as by a constitution) upon the scope or exercise of powers

a limited monarchy

3

: lacking breadth and originality

a bit limited; a bit thick in the head

—Virginia Woolf

limitedly adverb

limitedness noun

Synonyms

• bounded
• circumscribed
• defined
• definite
• determinate
• finite
• measured
• narrow
• restricted

Examples of limited in a Sentence

Only a limited number of students will be allowed in the class.

People with limited incomes are hit particularly hard by inflation.

The company has had limited success.

Recent Examples on the Web

Fitzgerald can next be seen in the Amazon feature Crime 101 and recurring on Hulu’s Amanda Knox limited series. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 2 May 2025

Amazon had also commissioned a limited series about FTX in 2022. —Joe Otterson, Variety, 2 May 2025

Lena Dunham is writing a feature film for Apple and A24, and Amazon’s Prime Video ordered a limited series from theJoe and Anthony Russo’s AGBO and writer David Weil shortly after FTX imploded. —Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 2 May 2025

The doughnut chain has announced a new Craving Cheesecake Collection of doughnuts, sold individually and by the dozen, available for a limited time starting April 22. —Mike Snider, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1583, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing limited

• limited-access
• limited edition
• limited liability
• limited liability partnership
• limited partner
• limited partnership
• limited war
• self-limited
• sex-limited

Rhymes for limited

• delimited
• unlimited

Kids Definition

limited

adjective

lim·​it·​ed

1

: held within limits

2

: having constitutional limitations placed on the exercise of power

a limited monarchy

limitedly adverb

limitedness noun