Meaning & use

circumscribed

adjective·Advanced

Last updated

Restricted within limits; narrowly defined or confined.

See it in a sentence

Her authority as manager was carefully circumscribed by company policy.

The doctor's role was circumscribed to a small set of approved procedures.

A note on using this word

Also used in geometry to describe a shape drawn around another so that it touches its outer points, as in a 'circumscribed circle'.

Words with a similar meaning

limitedrestricted

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Words with an opposite meaning

unlimitedunrestricted

Another way to use it

2. adjective

(Geometry) Drawn around another figure so as to touch it at as many points as possible without crossing it.

The triangle was inscribed within a circumscribed circle.

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