Meaning & use
contained
Last updated
“contained” is a form of “contain”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive
Past tense and past participle of contain: had something inside, or included something as a part.
Grammar: Takes an object: the box contained old letters. It is rarely used in the continuous form.
Patterns
- contained something
- be contained in something
The envelope contained a single photograph.
The report contained several serious errors.
Nobody knew what the jar contained.
verbtransitive
Past tense of contain: kept something within limits, stopped it from spreading or getting worse, or controlled a feeling.
Grammar: Takes an object such as a fire, a disease or your anger: firefighters contained the blaze.
Patterns
- contain a fire
- contain your anger
- contain the spread of something
Firefighters contained the blaze before it reached the houses.
She barely contained her excitement during the announcement.
Doctors contained the outbreak with quick action.
adjectivecomparable
Calm and in control of your feelings, without showing strong emotion.
Grammar: Often used after a verb: he stayed contained. Also used to mean limited to a small space, as in a contained area.
Patterns
- remain contained
- a contained manner
Even after the bad news, she remained remarkably contained.
He spoke in a quiet, contained voice.
The speaker's contained fury was clear to everyone.
Common combinations
- contained within
- The password is contained within the sealed envelope.
- fully contained
- The fire was fully contained by midnight.
- self-contained
- The apartment is self-contained, with its own entrance.
- barely contained
- She wore a barely contained smile.
- remain contained
- The outbreak remained contained to one town.
Synonyms and how they differ
- held
- Held is more general and physical, while contained often suggests something inside a limit or boundary.
- included
- Included is for a part of a whole, whereas contained usually implies physically holding something.
- restrained
- Restrained is about holding yourself back, while contained also fits a fire or a disease.
- composed
- Composed means calm and collected as a quality of a person, while contained suggests feelings are being kept in.
Opposites
Word family
- contain verb
- The base form meaning to hold or restrain
- container noun
- Something used for holding things
- containment noun
- The act of keeping something within limits
- content noun
- What is inside something
Commonly confused: contained or content? contained or contend?
contained vs content
Content (noun) is the stuff inside something, while content (adjective) means happy and satisfied.
contained vs contend
Contend means to compete or to argue that something is true, not to hold something inside.
Practice
The old suitcase ____ nothing but a few postcards and a broken watch.
Choose one answer.
Contained is the past tense meaning had inside. Consisted would need 'of' and is not used for physical contents in the same way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “contained”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.