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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of constraint
The launch date is dependent on spacecraft traffic to the ISS and in-orbit activity planning and constraints that have to be coordinated with NASA.
—
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 May 2025
Maybe, for the first time in their lives, college students experience life free of the constraints and expectations of their parents.
—Patricia Schultheis, Baltimore Sun, 11 May 2025
Children experience justice and injustice, freedom and constraint.
—Nancy Richards Farese, Mercury News, 9 May 2025
Rauscher said Sunrun has integrated VPPs into electric systems in California, which has a highly sophisticated grid operating system, and in Puerto Rico, where the electrical system struggles with equipment failures and severe budget constraints.
—Jeff Young, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for constraint
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 May 2025
Maybe, for the first time in their lives, college students experience life free of the constraints and expectations of their parents.
—Patricia Schultheis, Baltimore Sun, 11 May 2025
Children experience justice and injustice, freedom and constraint.
—Nancy Richards Farese, Mercury News, 9 May 2025
Rauscher said Sunrun has integrated VPPs into electric systems in California, which has a highly sophisticated grid operating system, and in Puerto Rico, where the electrical system struggles with equipment failures and severe budget constraints.
—Jeff Young, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for constraint
Recent Examples of Synonyms for constraint
Noun
-
Director Maja Novakovic strikes a balance between restraint and gentle nudging, allowing the story to breathe while occasionally adding subtle touches to coax it forward.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
9 May 2025
-
Drug companies in the U.S. face few restraints on what to charge for their products.—
David Armstrong,
ProPublica,
9 May 2025
Noun
-
Harvard, in its refusal to comport with new federal guidelines regarding DEI restrictions, has put $9 billion in federal funding at risk.—
Rep. Steve Weir,
Hartford Courant,
20 May 2025
-
Complete access to Netflix without restrictions is considered Open.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
20 May 2025
Noun
-
Add to that the pressures of career, family, caretaking responsibilities, financial stress — and midlife can be a roller coaster of uncertainty and stress.—
Katia Riddle,
NPR,
15 May 2025
-
Trump's administration has suggested the U.S. might not defend NATO countries that fail to meet spending targets—a controversial stance that adds pressure to European governments.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 May 2025
Noun
-
For most of the season, the Mets have maintained their plate discipline; their 18.6 percent strikeout rate with runners in scoring position ranks as the fifth-best in MLB.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
-
Controversially, the plan also included converting campus libraries into student discipline spaces.—
Silas Allen,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 May 2025
Noun
-
Like Proton Drive, Proton Calendar and Proton Pass are available to free users, but with limitations.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
14 May 2025
-
Under the draft bill, the limitations would be made permanent.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
Noun
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Even then, lawmakers couldn’t resist the compulsion to split hairs.—
Robert Goulder,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
-
Books The Faithless Generation Traditional religion thrives in stable communities, not a world where innovators aim to ‘break things.’ Books Lies, Damned Lies, and Ideology John O’Sullivan The ideological lie persists, demanding compulsion to enforce its vision.—
Paul Baumann,
National Review,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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That leaves ‘financial repression’ - forcing US citizens or their agents (pension funds, insurance companies, banks) to hold US Treasuries.—
Kevin Coldiron,
Forbes.com,
7 May 2025
-
Foreign students appear to have replaced the immigrant union leaders of the 1950s as the targets of government repression.—
Rick Baldoz,
The Conversation,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Just in time for the full moon in Libra on April 12, Luna will illuminate your 12th house of secrets, inhibitions and unconscious patterns, urging you to let go of patterns that no longer serve you.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
5 Apr. 2025
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His research team, in partnership with associate professor Sakiko Okumoto at Texas A&M University, hopes to study plant mechanisms in sorghum and capitalize on its innate ability to inhibit nitrogen loss, a process known as biological nitrification inhibition (BNI).—
Robin Roenker,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Constraint.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/constraint. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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