limiting

adjective

lim·​it·​ing ˈli-mə-tiŋ 

1

a

: functioning as a limit : restrictive

limiting value

b

: being an environmental factor (such as a nutrient) that limits the population size of an organism

2

: serving to specify the application of the modified noun

this in "this book" is a limiting word

limitingly adverb

Examples of limiting in a Sentence

A limiting factor on our country's economic performance is its lack of resources.

As a writer, I find the drama genre to be very limiting.

Recent Examples on the Web

The ultimate limiting factor is productivity, not money. —John T. Harvey, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025

Stamina is your biggest limiting factor in combat, so having as much as possible and being able to recover it quickly is a must. —Kristan Hawkins, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025

The critical limiting factor for returning home is access to fuel for the return journey. —Saurav Shroff, WIRED, 2 Jan. 2025

Your base internet speed, provided by your internet service provider (ISP), will always be the ultimate limiting factor. —Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 16 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1644, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing limiting

• self-limiting

Rhymes for limiting

• delimiting

Kids Definition

limiting

adjective

lim·​it·​ing

: being an environmental factor (as food) that limits the size of a population of living things