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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in restricted
to set bounds or an upper limit for
circumscribed his enthusiasm so as not to make the losing side feel worse
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in defined
to mark the limits of
Lake Michigan circumscribes the city of Chicago on the east
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of circumscribed
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
Barrett understood its more circumscribed project.
—
Stefan Fatsis,
The Atlantic,
13 Sep. 2025
There’s a circumscribed way to open the soju bottle, a correct way to pour and drink.
—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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
Each of Cicellis’s young protagonists arrives at the grim realization that their life is circumscribed not by a god but by the pull of obligation to an undeserving parent or mentor.
—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
The Atlantic,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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
Barrett understood its more circumscribed project.
—
Stefan Fatsis,
The Atlantic,
13 Sep. 2025
There’s a circumscribed way to open the soju bottle, a correct way to pour and drink.
—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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
Each of Cicellis’s young protagonists arrives at the grim realization that their life is circumscribed not by a god but by the pull of obligation to an undeserving parent or mentor.
—
Rachel Vorona Cote,
The Atlantic,
5 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumscribed
Adjective
-
Old buildings and infrastructure, limited uptake of air conditioning and little acclimatization to those highs mean European populations are less equipped to cope with such temperatures than other parts of the world.
-
Beyond the limited number of residences, a secure motor court ensures discretion for arrivals and departures.
Verb
-
Assembly Bill 46, carried by Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen, D-Elk Grove, removes a legal standard that restricted courts’ ability to deny diversion.
-
The four players on the Heat’s season-ending 15-man standard roster set to enter free agency this summer are Norman Powell (unrestricted free agent), Simone Fontecchio (unrestricted free agent), Jahmir Young (unrestricted free agent) and Johnson (restricted free agent).
Verb
-
And to be an American is to be embroiled in the great democratic experiment that has been defined by division from the beginning.
-
The first merges Birkenstock’s first-ever sandal, the one-strap Madrid from 1963, featured with the Big Buckle, and is merged with its successor, the Arizona sandal launched in 1973 and defined by the brand’s original square buckles.
Adjective
-
Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, continues to defy time at the World Cup, embodying the finite nature of elite careers.
-
Big dreams have a tendency to shape-shift when they are transformed into earthbound finite reality.
Verb
-
The suspect planned out his attack, and specifically chose a place that would be confined and populated, Patel said.
-
Because for security reasons and all kinds of other reasons, you are confined.
Verb
-
What The $10 Million Cap Changes At the old $1 million ceiling, operational risk was bounded by the dollar amount.
-
Then after another Algerian wave of pressure, Gouiri tapped in a loose ball after a corner from Anis Hadj Moussa, Mahrez’s replacement after the hydration break in the 76th minute, bounded loosely through the box.
Adjective
-
Many of Haaland’s bags are actually Haut à Courroies (HAC), the model that the Birkin is based off, but with a slightly taller and narrower profile.
-
But with 10,000 baby boomers reportedly retiring every day and millions of businesses approaching a transition point, the window to get it right is narrow.
Cite this Entry
“Circumscribed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumscribed. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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