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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of constraining
Florida laws are constraining the choice of residents to install their own solar generation and storage capabilities.
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Bob Norberg, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Jan. 2026
Electricity, which was abundant enough to be taken for granted, now looks like the bottleneck constraining everything from data centers to manufacturing.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 30 Dec. 2025
The AfD’s views on defense spending are deeply rooted in a nationalistic conception of German military power outside of constraining institutions such as the EU and NATO.
—Sudha David-Wilp, Foreign Affairs, 23 Dec. 2025
Equally constraining are government regulations and union philosophies that lock scopes of practice into place.
—Lawrence Rosenberg, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
In the past, the Federal Aviation Administration had long been the agency putting a ceiling on the height of many Miami-Dade towers, constraining developments in Sunny Isles Beach to 649 feet to facilitate airplanes landing at Miami-Opa-Locka Executive Airport.
—Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 1 Dec. 2025
The perception of what the larger American public would eat was a constraining factor.
—JSTOR Daily, 26 Nov. 2025
Majumdar’s characters’ choices would carry greater weight if the conditions constraining them were rendered with equal depth.
—Tope Folarin, The Atlantic, 8 Nov. 2025
The first practice is constraining memory to the task at hand.
—Keivan Navaie, IEEE Spectrum, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for constraining
Verb
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That simple change would introduce real competition, allowing merchants to choose lower-cost options and forcing the dominant players to compete on price and service--just like any other market.—
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Jackson remains optimistic that Medicaid cuts will spur a public backlash against lawmakers, forcing Congress to reverse Medicaid cuts before additional layoffs are necessary.—
Verb
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Silk is known to have great temperature-regulating qualities, so these will lock in the heat during the winter and keep you cool in the summer.—
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That’s because our oceans play a key role in regulating the impact of global carbon emissions in our atmosphere—absorbing about 90% of the excess heat from planetary warming trapped by greenhouse gases over the past century.—
Verb
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This would likely mean seizing more resources inside Yemen—for example, by capturing the oil-rich governorate of Marib east of Sanaa—or by coercing Saudi Arabia into offering new financial concessions.—
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There were more damning allegations made by Burrowes against Diddy, which included Combs coercing Burrowes to make changes in Biggie’s record deal with Bad Boy to make the terms more lucrative and favorable for the label.—
Verb
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The farmers also pitched in with efforts of their own, including adjusting fertilizer methods, controlling soil erosion and increasing on-site water retention.—
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Other concerning behaviors may include constant messaging, controlling actions, name-calling, threats, or refusing to respect your boundaries.—
Verb
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In season four, Mike’s (Renner) control over Kingstown is threatened as new players compete to fill the power vacuum left in the Russians’ wake, compelling him to confront the resulting gang war and stop them from swallowing the town.—
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In Season 4 of Mayor of Kingstown, Mike’s (Renner) control over Kingstown is threatened as new players compete to fill the power vacuum left in the Russians’ wake, compelling him to confront the resulting gang war and stop them from swallowing the town.—
Verb
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The idea of curbing Wall Street’s role in housing isn’t new.—
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Vaccinating children also helped protect pregnant women by curbing the spread of infection.—
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.—
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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.—
Verb
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This changed with the draining and containing of the Everglades and explosive growth and development that followed.—
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The changes saw Fielder do a much better job of containing Demirel, allowing the Broncos to fight back and take a 9-8 lead.—
Cite this Entry
“Constraining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/constraining. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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