CIRCUMSCRIBED Synonyms: 130 Similar and Opposite Words

circumscribed 1 of 2

adjective

as in limited

having distinct or certain limits the powers of that state's governor are so sharply circumscribed that often his hands are tied by the state legislature

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

circumscribed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of circumscribe

as in restricted

to set bounds or an upper limit for circumscribed his enthusiasm so as not to make the losing side feel worse

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in defined

to mark the limits of Lake Michigan circumscribes the city of Chicago on the east

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of circumscribed

Adjective

That individual should want, care about and notice a closely circumscribed subset of things. — Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026 The authors of the study estimated that their circumscribed findings extrapolated countywide could represent up to $114 million in losses over a month of sustained enforcement. — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2026 Signs will redirect cyclists around the circumscribed area, requiring them in some cases to take winding alternative routes. — Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Feb. 2026 Yes, their lives have become this circumscribed. — Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 31 Jan. 2026 Thompson-Hernández acknowledges that while Watts might be a small community, a relative sliver of greater Los Angeles, imagination flourishes in the most circumscribed places. — Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 29 Jan. 2026 Joan understands that their circumscribed lives now give their eternity its meaning. — Jp Mangalindan, Time, 26 Nov. 2025 In reality, as for most visiting celebrities, her itinerary was narrowly circumscribed. — Zak Cheney-Rice, Vulture, 6 Nov. 2025 While Swift’s life is extraordinary, it’s also cloistered by wealth and celebrity; perhaps the range of feelings she’s allowed to experience has become circumscribed. — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025

Verb

In the course of the film, Hargitay reevaluates her mom, forming a fuller picture of how Mansfield’s career choices were circumscribed by the egregious sexism of the 1950s and ‘60s. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026 Representatives from hostile states like Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea are circumscribed in their movements, typically limited to a small radius around their official posts—an embassy, a consulate, a permanent mission to the UN. — Adam Ciralsky, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026 Eventually, the area in the Pentagon where reporters were allowed was circumscribed to a single corridor outside the press room – even though the public affairs officers who worked most closely with reporters were in an office on the other side of the 6½-million-square-foot building. — Kathy Kiely, The Conversation, 17 Mar. 2026 Under the Constitution, the concept of a militia is a specific and narrowly circumscribed one. — Larry Pino, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Feb. 2026 But the apartheid regime became a police state that heavily circumscribed its white citizens’ lives, too. — Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026 No matter their financial situation, these characters are circumscribed by their situations (class, responsibilities, families) and desire more—or something else entirely. — Diana Arterian, Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026 Their sovereign capacity to realign is circumscribed by the very architectures that protect them. — Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Time, 15 Jan. 2026 Only one major financial institution is currently investing in a presence downtown, defined as the area circumscribed by I-35, I-30, I-45 and Woodall Rogers Freeway. — Sasha Richie, Dallas Morning News, 9 Jan. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumscribed

Adjective

Following the results, analysts at Bank of America upgraded shares to neutral from an underperform rating on accelerating AI growth, but warned of limited upside ahead.

— Samantha Subin, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
Yet last week, California managed to pull it off — navigating the public backlash that has derailed and limited efforts by other Western states.

— Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of limited

Verb

The prosecutor general’s office has stopped updating crime data; the Treasury has ceased publishing detailed budget information; and the central bank has restricted disclosure of international reserves.

— Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026
The GaN-on-silicon structure used by the team restricted the maximum breakdown voltage, meaning different substrates could potentially allow the devices to go even higher.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of restricted

Verb

The study defined high-exposure counties as having median annual emissions of 51 pounds of ethylbenzene and 44 pounds of toulene.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Spirit’s team created a warm mahogany-and-veneer interior defined by curves, with details such as fore-and-aft berths, a shower, a galley, and an electric head.

— Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of defined

Adjective

Rhule can't afford to miss in a way that Tom Osborne could, because a player who's not a hit in the Class of 2027 counts against the roster limit, capped at 105, and eats up NIL money, which is finite.

— Mitch Sherman, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
Land is a finite resource and positively correlated with inflation, continuing to appreciate as costs go up.

— Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of finite

Verb

Authorities confined the fire to the third-floor nursery, but the tragedy exposed questions over fire alarms, equipment and evacuation routes in Pakistan’s overstretched public hospitals.

— Munir Ahmed, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Unlike the widespread good fortune of Monday’s major money Florida Lottery drawings, Tuesday’s Mega Millions, Jackpot Triple Play and Fantasy 5 luck was confined to one player at one RaceTrac station.

— David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of confined

Adjective

Burner accounts from China and Russia And those partnership ads are channeled through a narrow group of creators, ORL says.

— Jim Edwards, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
Just like their simulated counterparts, the worms consistently moved through the narrower channels faster than the wider ones.

— K. R. Prathyusha, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of narrow

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circumscribe

circumscribed

circumscribes

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“Circumscribed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumscribed. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of circumscribed

adjective

verb

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