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   con·straint

   /kənˈstrānt/

   noun

   • 1. a limitation or restriction: "time constraints make it impossible to do everything" Similar restrictionlimitationcurbcheckrestraintcontrolcurtailmentdamperreinhindranceimpedimenthamperingobstructionhandicap
   • ▪ stiffness of manner and inhibition in relations between people: "they would be able to talk without constraint" Similar inhibitionuneasinessembarrassmentrestraintreservednessreticenceguardednessformalitystand-offishnessself-consciousnessawkwardnessforcednessunnaturalnesswoodennessstiltednessOpposite openness

   Word Origin late Middle English (in the sense ‘coercion’): from Old French constreinte, feminine past participle of constraindre (see constrain).

   Scrabble Points: 12

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