Synonyms of circumscribing

circumscribing

verb

present participle of circumscribe

1

as in limiting

to set bounds or an upper limit for

circumscribed his enthusiasm so as not to make the losing side feel worse

Synonyms & Similar Words

• limiting
• restricting
• confining
• tightening
• capping
• holding down
• blocking
• impeding
• obstructing
• hindering
• narrowing
• suppressing
• hampering
• modifying
• lessening
• contracting
• barring
• squeezing
• constricting
• pinching
• repressing
• numbering
• qualifying
• quelling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• exceeding
• expanding
• widening
• broadening
• overreaching
• overextending

2

as in defining

to mark the limits of

Lake Michigan circumscribes the city of Chicago on the east

Synonyms & Similar Words

• defining
• limiting
• bounding
• delimiting
• describing
• demarcating
• marking (off)
• demarking
• governing
• terminating
• controlling
• determining
• delineating

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of circumscribing

In quick succession, the Court began circumscribing Congress’s ability to define rights and act on its constitutional imagination. — Duncan Hosie, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026

This wouldn’t be the first time the Court has avoided a head-on fight with the other branches, especially after Congress makes noise about circumscribing its authority. — Time, 14 Nov. 2025