constraining

verb

Definition of constrainingnext
present participle of constrain
1
as in forcing
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure constrained by conscience to tell only the truth

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for constraining
  1. regulating
  2. coercing
  3. containing
  4. restraining
  5. keeping
  6. stifling
  7. measuring
Verb
  • Even the bed—a plush, temperature-regulating masterpiece—felt like it had been engineered specifically to cradle you into the best rest of your life.
    Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 30 Dec. 2024
  • On the other hand, if your social media app of choice elicits feelings of insufficiency, and self-control resources are burned up by exerting will power to avoid consuming products, or regulating hard emotions, than that experience is important to notice.
    Ellen Choi, Forbes, 30 Dec. 2024
Definition of regulating
Verb
  • Pressuring or coercing someone into ending their life would be punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
    Alistair Smout, USA TODAY, 29 Nov. 2024
  • That same sentence will remain for anyone found guilty of tricking, pressuring or coercing someone into making the choice if the bill is ultimately passed.
    David Hodari, NBC News, 29 Nov. 2024
Definition of coercing
Verb
  • Gunfire ensued when Ratliff came out of the vault with a sack containing money.
    Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 24 Dec. 2024
  • American fans have the opportunity to purchase seven different CD variants, all containing collectible items such as photocards, posters, stickers and trading cards.
    Thania Garcia, Variety, 23 Dec. 2024
Definition of containing
Verb
  • After restraining Neely that day, Penny remained on scene when police arrived and later explained his actions to several NYPD officers.
    Eric Levenson, CNN, 10 Dec. 2024
  • Prosecutors have said Penny acted recklessly and negligently by restraining Neely in a chokehold for so long, even after Neely stopped moving.
    Gloria Pazmino, CNN, 9 Dec. 2024
Definition of restraining
Verb
  • Co-owners Will Thompson and Chef Carey Hynes turned their outdoor pandemic pop-up in Little River into a full-time reality, keeping the gorgeous space for dining under the giant banyan tree but adding a retro-Florida indoor dining room as well.
    Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2025
  • While Empower Field has 8,200 club seats and 144 luxury suites, a new Broncos stadium would likely have more seats in both categories while keeping the capacity around the current 76,125 mark.
    Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 6 Jan. 2025
Definition of keeping
Verb
  • However, a lack of autonomy growing up can strongly trigger the need for independence and reinforce negative attitudes about how future relationships may continue to be stifling.
    Mark Travers, Forbes, 5 Jan. 2025
  • Will the courts uphold the rule, potentially stifling a sector with transformative potential?
    Sandy Carter, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
Definition of stifling
Verb
  • But when measuring excellence, whether for individual season awards or Hall of Fame worthiness, using league average as a baseline makes more sense.
    Tony Blengino, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
  • Electrical signals are fundamental to cellular communication, yet traditional methods for measuring them are cumbersome and limited in scope.
    Srishti Gupta, Interesting Engineering, 23 Dec. 2024
Definition of measuring
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near constraining

constrained

constraining

constrains

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Constraining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/constraining. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on constraining

Nglish: Translation of constraining for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of constraining for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Top 12 Sophisticated Compliments

Word of the Year 2024 | Polarization

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
white rubber duck stands out in a row of yellow ducks
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.