constrain
constrain Lexical Profile
constrain Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To severely restrict or limit the scope, extent, or activity of something.
"Limited funding continues to constrain the research team's ability to conduct large-scale clinical trials."
To compel or oblige someone to follow a particular course of action.
"Due to the sudden downturn in the market, the board felt constrained to delay the company's expansion plans."
To confine or hold strictly within physical bounds or a tight space.
"High concrete levees were built to constrain the river during the spring thaw."
Word Nuance & Usage
While 'constrain' and 'restrain' both involve limiting action, 'restrain' typically means to hold back an existing impulse, emotion, or physical movement, whereas 'constrain' emphasizes imposing external boundaries, conditions, or pressures that either restrict options or compel a particular course of action.
• Rhymes for constrain
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in Middle English from Old French 'constraindre', from Latin 'constringere' ('to bind together tightly' or 'fetter'), formed from 'com-' ('together') and 'stringere' ('to draw tight').