constraints

noun

plural of constraint
1
as in restrictions
something that limits one's freedom of action or choice put legal constraints on the board's activities

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pressures
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 constraints At coarser levels, CBS detects and matches SIFT features while using epipolar constraints to estimate horizontal and vertical disparities. — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026 The guidance could have been even higher if not for supply constraints, as the company grapples with shortages in parts like memory, which faces a global crunch due to AI buildouts. — Kif Leswing, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026 Huang was responding to a request from an analyst at Goldman Sachs to rank the most acute constraints on Nvidia’s ability to meet customer demand, against the backdrop of the blockbuster 70% revenue growth the company projected for next fiscal year. — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026 Kodish said all are advancing within their own specific contexts, constraints and geographies, but that the I-5 route, anchored by California, can be one of many models for how to achieve it at speed and scale. — Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026 For producers and global brands, resilience now depends on building fiber systems that can operate within these constraints. — Kari Stoever, Footwear News, 26 Aug. 2026 That growth, paired with SpaceX’s intention to stop booking Falcon 9 launches past 2028 due to capacity constraints and the company’s shift towards Starship, leaves an opening for other launch companies, in Kolias’s view. — IEEE Spectrum, 20 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for constraints
  1. restrictions
  2. pressures
  3. limitations
  4. compulsions
Noun
  • Crews can practice firing procedures repeatedly while working within range restrictions that limit where live rockets can fly.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Those restrictions formally sunset in 2022, but so far only Sony has done a major deal for cinemas, acquiring all 35 Alamo Drafthouse locations in 2024.
    — Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of restrictions
Noun
  • Investors are hungry for more information regarding the chair's views on the economy, inflation pressures and the role of monetary policymaking.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The project uses horror and darkly comic genre elements to approach the psychological pressures of motherhood, extending Urban’s interest in personal experience as a route into broader social and political terrain.
    — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of pressures
Noun
  • According to a statement by the team, the approach does have limitations.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The authors also noted some study limitations – including potential unvalidated diagnoses and limited socioeconomic and lifestyle data – as well as the associations not proving causation.
    — Sara Moniuszko, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of limitations
Noun
  • The real question is whether Pennsylvania and cities like Pittsburgh want skill games and other gambling opportunities to be widespread and unavoidable for people who struggle with compulsions to gamble.
    — Jonathan Caulkins, The Conversation, 17 July 2026
  • These obsessions lead you to do repetitive behaviors, also called compulsions.
    — Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 29 June 2026
Definition of compulsions

Browse Nearby Words

constraint
constraints
constrict
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All