1
as in restraint
the checking of one's true feelings and impulses when dealing with others
in civilized society people do not just say or do whatever they feel like—they exercise some constraint
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in restriction
something that limits one's freedom of action or choice
put legal constraints on the board's activities
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in pressure
the use of power to impose one's will on another
parental constraint can take several different forms, including a denial of the approval that children usually seek from their parents
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of constraint
Although he had been approached previously about becoming involved with Lake Forest College, Murley declined because of time constraints.
—
Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
Unlike natural gas, wind power is not subject to fuel price spikes, global market disruptions, or supply constraints during extreme weather.
—Julianna Larue, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2026
Getting honest about your constraints is half of the equation.
—Cynthia Pong, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
The blockade of the waterway has created severe supply constraints for various goods, including oil, gas and fertilizers, sparking price rises and fueling concerns about a return to stagflation.
—Terri Cullen,chloe Taylor,garrett Downs,anniek Bao, CNBC, 14 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for constraint
Daniel I. Dorfman, Chicago Tribune, 15 June 2026
Unlike natural gas, wind power is not subject to fuel price spikes, global market disruptions, or supply constraints during extreme weather.
—Julianna Larue, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2026
Getting honest about your constraints is half of the equation.
—Cynthia Pong, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026
The blockade of the waterway has created severe supply constraints for various goods, including oil, gas and fertilizers, sparking price rises and fueling concerns about a return to stagflation.
—Terri Cullen,chloe Taylor,garrett Downs,anniek Bao, CNBC, 14 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for constraint
Recent Examples of Synonyms for constraint
Noun
-
In the case of these earrings, restraint was paramount.—
Jill Newman,
Robb Report,
18 June 2026
-
For disabled students already navigating discrimination, bullying, and in some cases dangerous seclusion and restraint practices with fewer advocacy resources than ever, the question of who will investigate and enforce their rights just got a lot murkier.—
Keely Cat-Wells,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
The change would bring state policy in line with federal law, which already includes those restrictions.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
16 June 2026
-
In April, American Airlines tightened restrictions on portable chargers that passengers can bring on flights.—
Kiki Intarasuwan,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, schools faced mounting pressure to raise test scores, creating a fundamental tension between learning time and and play time.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
-
Turbulent emotions can stir up physical stress when the Leo moon puts pressure on Mars.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Technical excellence is paramount, but so is the ability to take risks, learn from your mistakes and work at the edge and intersections of disciplines to transform ideas into knowledge and action.—
Rachel Nuwer,
Scientific American,
16 June 2026
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Marie says each piece of work carries a story about childhood, discipline, survival and the complicated ways love can be expressed.—
Nia Dumas,
NPR,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
But the industry groups are still arguing that film credits should be entirely exempt from the new limitations, as they have already been accounted for and approved by the Legislature through 2030.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
19 June 2026
-
Sometimes our limitations arrive uninvited.—
Amber Harding OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Writers write from compulsion, from necessity.—
Walt Hunter,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
-
For me, one of these compulsions ended up being using the tracking app.—
Sara Rowe Mount,
Parents,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
Jafarzadeh highlighted Khabiri as a symbol of the regime’s repression of athletes, as Khabiri was a rising soccer star who became captain of Iran’s national team before being arrested and asked to appear on television to renounce his political beliefs.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 June 2026
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Other ancestors had fled aboard the Mayflower from the persecution of Puritans in England, aboard a steamship from pogroms in Ukraine, aboard a schooner from Spanish repression in Cuba.—
Yoni Appelbaum,
The Atlantic,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
The little people are being menaced by a dark force—a force with power, money, and very few moral inhibitions.—
Hanna Rosin,
The Atlantic,
4 June 2026
-
Shrug off inhibitions and break the ice as the moon and Uranus harmonize.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
4 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Constraint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/constraint. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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