CIRCUMSCRIBED Synonyms: 130 Similar and Opposite Words

circumscribed 1 of 2

adjective

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

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circumscribed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of circumscribe

as in restricted

to set bounds or an upper limit for circumscribed his enthusiasm so as not to make the losing side feel worse

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as in defined

to mark the limits of Lake Michigan circumscribes the city of Chicago on the east

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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 circumscribed

Adjective

Through it all, Nussbaum chafed at the circumscribed role of women. — Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026 Of course the playwright has prepared the way, but the wayward emotions emanating from these inwardly glowing performances are refreshing in work that has the crisp, circumscribed elegance of a mathematical proof. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026 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

Verb

But as an American of Chinese heritage, her travel was circumscribed by the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882-1943). — Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026 In the course of the film, Hargitay reevaluates her mom, forming a fuller picture of how Mansfield’s career choices were circumscribed by the egregious sexism of the 1950s and ‘60s. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for circumscribed

Adjective

Service in Denver opened this summer, and Telemetry analyst Sam Abuelsamid expects the Detroit service will be available on a limited basis by the end of the year, with the Waymo app opening to the public at large early in 2027.

— Henry Payne, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
Wagner, who only played 14 minutes in the first half, made the most of his limited action with the ball in his hands and dished out seven assists.

— Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of limited

Verb

In some states, people who were convicted of a felony or are currently incarcerated are also restricted from voting.

— TIME Staff, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
Data center opposition is growing in Europe More than 70 data center projects in Europe were rejected or restricted between January and April — more than in all of 2025, according to the European Data Center Monitor.

— April Roach,Jenny Lee, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of restricted

Verb

The General Assembly created the Board of Regents, defined its authority, and now has the power to investigate and change that structure.

— Dr. Matthew Warshauer, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026
Legal experts on the other side question the notion that a public nuisance can be defined so broadly to include both the sale of a legal product and the impact on carbon pollution, much of it coming from China and India.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of defined

Adjective

Intelligence may become abundant, but the physical world remains stubbornly finite.

— Brian Solis, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
Arguably the most important question in percolation theory concerns the transition from a system with only finite clusters to one with infinite clusters.

— Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of finite

Verb

Burke’s call to bar judges from allowing those accused of the worst violent crimes to be confined at home with their whereabouts tracked using electronic monitors.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
Winds are expected to be strongest on the east side of the storm, meaning that winds gusting above 40 mph will be mostly confined to rugged terrain and the Mojave Desert.

— Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of confined

Verb

Start with focused use cases where the data requirements are understood and basic (static versus real time), the operational consequence is bounded, and measurable value can be demonstrated.

— Claudio Laterreur, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026
The district is bounded to the east by Fair Oaks Boulevard and to the west by San Juan Avenue.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of bounded

Adjective

But do such experiences meet the narrow definition of attachment?

— Pascal Vrticka, Scientific American, 4 Oct. 2026
When the pollsters gave likely voters additional, critical information about both candidates, Bass shot up by 5 points and took a narrow lead over Raman, 40% to 39%, with 21% undecided, according to FM3.

— James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of narrow

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circumscribe

circumscribed

circumscribes

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“Circumscribed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/circumscribed. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of circumscribed

adjective

verb

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