Meaning & use
constraint
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Meanings
nouncountable
Something that limits what you can do, such as a lack of money, time or space.
Grammar: Countable, usually followed by on: constraints on spending.
Patterns
- a constraint on something
- under constraints
- a constraint of time
Budget constraints forced the school to cancel the trip.
The architect worked within tight space constraints.
Time is the biggest constraint on this project.
nouncountabletechnical
A rule or condition that a solution must satisfy, especially in planning, math or engineering.
Grammar: Used in technical settings: the problem has three constraints.
Patterns
- a constraint on something
The scheduling program must meet every constraint, such as no double bookings.
One constraint of the design is that the bridge cannot be taller than ten meters.
noununcountableformal
Strain or awkwardness in manner because you feel restricted or watched.
Grammar: Uncountable in this sense and rather formal: she spoke without constraint.
Patterns
- without constraint
He spoke to us without constraint, as if among old friends.
There was a note of constraint in her greeting.
Word forms
| plural | constraints |
|---|
Common combinations
- budget constraints
- Budget constraints limited what the team could buy.
- time constraint
- Because of a time constraint, we skipped the last item.
- impose a constraint
- The new law imposes a constraint on advertising.
- work within constraints
- Designers learn to work within constraints.
- remove a constraint
- Faster internet removed a major constraint for remote workers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- limitation
- Limitation is a neutral word for any boundary, while constraint suggests an outside pressure that forces you to adapt.
- restriction
- A restriction is usually a deliberate rule someone has made, whereas a constraint can simply be a fact like lack of time.
- restraint
- Restraint more often means self-control or holding something back, not an external limit.
- obstacle
- An obstacle blocks progress, while a constraint only narrows your options.
Opposites
Word family
- constrain verb
- to limit or hold back
- constrained adjective
- limited or forced, or unnaturally stiff
- unconstrained adjective
- not limited by anything
Commonly confused: constraint or constrain? constraint or restraint?
constraint vs constrain
Constrain is the verb and constraint the noun, so you say limited resources constrain us, but they are a constraint.
constraint vs restraint
Restraint is mostly about holding yourself back or a physical hold, while a constraint is an outside limit on what is possible.
Practice
The charity wanted to hire more nurses, but financial ___ made it impossible.
Choose one answer.
After the adjective financial you need a noun, and constraints is the plural noun; the other options are verb or adjective forms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “constraint”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.