1
as in forcing
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
constrained by conscience to tell only the truth
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in regulating
to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression)
constrained his anger at the needless interruption
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of constraining
Wildfire risks The same forces constraining western water supplies could also set the stage for the West's wildfire season, which has lengthened over the last few decades with rising temperatures and intensifying drought.
—
Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
The war is constraining oil exports and prompting major producers like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq to scale back output as shipments face growing obstacles.
—Arkansas Online, 15 Mar. 2026
The war is constraining oil exports and prompting major producers like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq to scale back output as shipments face growing obstacles.
—Rio Yamat, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
As for why the Legislature hasn’t done more to stem the flow of money into the system, Bakken said that constraining donors too greatly could push them to divert cash from campaign donations into commercials and mailers in support of candidates, something candidates legally can’t control.
—Rob Davis, ProPublica, 13 Mar. 2026
The final remaining treaty constraining the two largest of them, belonging to America and Russia, expired last month without being replaced.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
Workforce shortages are constraining growth in our region.
—Jeffrey Ball, Oc Register, 2 Mar. 2026
The Baltimore region has suffered too long from underinvestment in transit services — which is shackling economic growth, harming the environment and constraining quality of life for families.
—Brandon Scott, Baltimore Sun, 25 Feb. 2026
For example, by constraining itself from releasing new models, Anthropic’s original RSP also incentivized it to quickly build safety mitigations.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
The war is constraining oil exports and prompting major producers like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq to scale back output as shipments face growing obstacles.
—Arkansas Online, 15 Mar. 2026
The war is constraining oil exports and prompting major producers like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq to scale back output as shipments face growing obstacles.
—Rio Yamat, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
As for why the Legislature hasn’t done more to stem the flow of money into the system, Bakken said that constraining donors too greatly could push them to divert cash from campaign donations into commercials and mailers in support of candidates, something candidates legally can’t control.
—Rob Davis, ProPublica, 13 Mar. 2026
The final remaining treaty constraining the two largest of them, belonging to America and Russia, expired last month without being replaced.
—Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
Workforce shortages are constraining growth in our region.
—Jeffrey Ball, Oc Register, 2 Mar. 2026
The Baltimore region has suffered too long from underinvestment in transit services — which is shackling economic growth, harming the environment and constraining quality of life for families.
—Brandon Scott, Baltimore Sun, 25 Feb. 2026
For example, by constraining itself from releasing new models, Anthropic’s original RSP also incentivized it to quickly build safety mitigations.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for constraining
Verb
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The Heat did it by sitting in its zone defense for most of the night, slowing the 76ers and forcing them into 17 non-paint two-point shots.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2026
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The decision drew immediate fire from El-Sayed's primary opponents and national Democratic figures, forcing a rare public reckoning over how far the party should go to recapture young men who abandoned it in record numbers in 2024.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, pointing to precedent on states regulating health care professionals.—
Nina Totenberg,
NPR,
31 Mar. 2026
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Some 30 states now have laws regulating or banning the practice, according to Saint Louis University legal researchers.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Meyers is also accused of coercing the 15-year-old into recording the high school’s wrestling team, the complaint alleges.—
Brittany Kubicko,
NBC news,
20 Feb. 2026
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Guevara and two colleagues, Mason and then-Detective Ernest Halvorson, orchestrated a frame-up by coercing one witness to identify Rios by beating him with a phone book and flashlight, and another by threatening to charge him with obstruction, according to the plaintiffs’ allegations.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The vendor chalked this up to Apple controlling the entire update stack, as opposed to Android, where updates are likely fragmented across diverse manufacturers and device types.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
28 Mar. 2026
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Lenney also advocated for controlling the demand side of the market, addressing the housing crunch by restricting who could buy homes by banning large institutions from purchasing them as investments.—
Mark Dee
March 28,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Justice Department initially said that its release, made in response to a law passed by Congress compelling the agency to disclose nearly all files related to Epstein, comprised more than 3 million pages.—
Elliott Ramos,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
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City staff, however, expressed concerns about the request, compelling the recycling plant to instead propose a new shear in the same location as the current one and reducing the new shear's size.—
Jessie Christopher Smith,
Oklahoman,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Amid the concern, earlier this month, House Democrats introduced a series of bills aimed at curbing ICE's involvement.—
Toby Meyjes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
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Rights groups in the North African kingdom have described the case as a political measure aimed at curbing freedoms.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The unions argue that carrying out permanent layoffs during a funding lapse violates the Antideficiency Act, which bars agencies from obligating funds without congressional authorization, and exceeds executive authority under the Administrative Procedure Act.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
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This document, signed by a sponsor, is a legally enforceable contract obligating the sponsor to support the immigrant and prevent them from relying on public aid.—
Daniel Shoer Roth,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Through a red chain-link curtain is a back room containing the likes of Screw, Al Goldstein’s erotic tabloid from the sixties and seventies.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2026
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The Jupiter-esque planet known as TOI-5205 b is the first exoplanet of its kind with an atmosphere containing far fewer heavy elements than similarly sized objects, as well as its own red dwarf star.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Constraining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/constraining. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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