What does “constrained” mean?
- 1
adjectivelimited or restricted by something
We are constrained by a very tight budget.
- 2
adjectivefeeling forced to do something
I felt constrained to accept the offer.
- 3
adjectivenot natural or relaxed
There was a constrained silence at dinner.
Constrained at a glance
- Part of speech
- adjective
- CEFR level
- C1 (advanced)
- Pronunciation
- /kənˈstreɪnd/ · kun-STRAYND
How to use “constrained” correctly
The noun “constraint” is very common in academic and business writing: “time constraints”, “budget constraints”.
Common phrases with “constrained”
- constrained by
- feel constrained to
- time-constrained
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- limited
- restricted
- forced
Antonyms (opposite meaning)
- free
- unrestricted
Word family
- constrain
- constraint
“constrained” is on these word lists
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