variants
also straightjacket
as in confinement
a jacket that has long arms which can be tied together behind someone's back and that is used to control the movement (as of a violent prisoner or patient)
The magician struggled to free his arms from the straitjacket and escape from the tank of water he was submerged in.
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of straitjacket
The undiluted isolationism of his campaign messaging could prove to be a straitjacket that paralyzes the Trump administration’s foreign policy at a critical time.
—
Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2024
Trump should make clear that Washington will no longer allow the accord to impose a straitjacket on broader U.S. policy in the Middle East.
—Tzvi Kahn, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2017
Lagrange’s method, despite seeming like a mere mathematical convenience at the time, loosened the straitjacket of Newton’s mechanistic view of the universe as a sequence of falling dominos.
—Charlie Wood, WIRED, 3 Nov. 2024
Many have plausibly claimed that his insistence on fitting a diverse society into the straitjacket of modern secular nationalism led successive governments to respond brutally when citizens wanted to keep speaking Kurdish or wearing headscarves.
—Nick Danforth, Foreign Affairs, 6 Jan. 2015
See all Example Sentences for straitjacket 
Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2024
Trump should make clear that Washington will no longer allow the accord to impose a straitjacket on broader U.S. policy in the Middle East.
—Tzvi Kahn, Foreign Affairs, 16 Feb. 2017
Lagrange’s method, despite seeming like a mere mathematical convenience at the time, loosened the straitjacket of Newton’s mechanistic view of the universe as a sequence of falling dominos.
—Charlie Wood, WIRED, 3 Nov. 2024
Many have plausibly claimed that his insistence on fitting a diverse society into the straitjacket of modern secular nationalism led successive governments to respond brutally when citizens wanted to keep speaking Kurdish or wearing headscarves.
—Nick Danforth, Foreign Affairs, 6 Jan. 2015
See all Example Sentences for straitjacket
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straitjacket
Noun
-
Some of those actions don’t fall under the CRA, including Biden’s sweeping order to grant clemency to nearly 1,500 Americans released from prison and placed on home confinement during the pandemic.—
Alexander Bolton,
The Hill,
8 Jan. 2025
-
Stewart donned the status symbol to her trial for lying during an insider-trading investigation, at which she was convicted and sentenced to a five-month stint in prison followed by home confinement.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA TODAY,
30 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
State of play: Peter Morton sold his interest in the cafe chain in 1996.—
Carrie Shepherd,
Axios,
21 Jan. 2025
-
Los Angeles only has a volunteer, part-time and mostly teenage hand crew, who use axes, shovels and chain saws to stop wildfires spreading, according to the Post.—
Chris Boyette,
CNN,
21 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Make sure your plans include fallback options for these users but don’t fall into the trap of falling back onto lower-assurance security factors.—
Aaron Painter,
Forbes,
14 Jan. 2025
-
This is political gamesmanship at its worst, planting a trap for lawmakers by exploiting a tragedy.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
Newsweek,
10 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Here's how to treat ring around the cuff as well as ring around the collar.—
Jolie Kerr,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 Jan. 2025
-
Leaving the studio, Palmer changed into another brightly colored outfit: a seafoam green tweed suit with a furry collar and a white Chloé bag with the name emblazoned in gold hardware.—
Hannah Jackson,
Vogue,
15 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Straitjacket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straitjacket. Accessed 28 Jan. 2025.
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