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Gene93 Posted 10 years ago
Vocabulary
limit, constrain and constrict
Hello,
I realize that they can be very different, but can't they all be used in certain sentences/contexts? A few examples:
- They are planning regulations that ....development. - I would use constrain here, but I am not sure about constrict.
- We are always....by out budget. - I'd use constrain again, but would the others work as well? Would "restrict" work here?
- The declining economy has.....job opportunities. - I think constrain and constrict might work. Maybe even limit.
I hope the sentences above are good enough for you.
As far as I know, constrain means "limit/restrict" and that makes me think we can use it in all three sentences, but that's not necessarily true.
I realize that they can be very different, but can't they all be used in certain sentences/contexts? A few examples:
- They are planning regulations that ....development. - I would use constrain here, but I am not sure about constrict.
- We are always....by out budget. - I'd use constrain again, but would the others work as well? Would "restrict" work here?
- The declining economy has.....job opportunities. - I think constrain and constrict might work. Maybe even limit.
I hope the sentences above are good enough for you.
As far as I know, constrain means "limit/restrict" and that makes me think we can use it in all three sentences, but that's not necessarily true.Top answer
development. - I would use constrain here, but I am not sure about constrict. I would use 'restrict'.
- development.
- - I would use constrain here, but I am not sure about constrict.
- I would use 'restrict'.
- by out budget.
- - I'd use constrain again, but would the others work as well?
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12 Answers
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Gene93They are planning regulations that ....development. - I would use constrain here, but I am not sure about constrict.I would use 'restrict'.
Gene93We are always....by out budget. - I'd use constrain again, but would the others work as well? Would "restrict" work here?I would use 'limited'
Gene93
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What in your opinion would be the difference between "constrain" and "constrict" here, Mr Micawber? For some reason I find them quite similar, but I don't think they are. Macmillan dictionary defines constrain as "to limit someone's freedom to do what they want" and constrict as "to limit what someone is allowed or able to do".
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'Constrict' is squeeze like a boa constrictor or tight underwear.
'Constrain' is a mental squeezing.
That's how I would distinguish them, generally.
'Constrain' is a mental squeezing.
That's how I would distinguish them, generally.
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I just found: "Fear of crime constricts many people's lives". Wouldn't it be better to use "constrain" instead, then?
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Again, I'd use 'restricts' or 'limits', but that is likely just me. You have already discovered that the meanings of these several words overlap considerably, and it is then a a task of finding the collocations, which are often not easy to identify. This is a general problem of vocabulary acquisition, and one for which there are no clear-cut rules. That is why I usually avoid queries about the
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These are my selections.
They are planning regulations that ..limit..development.
We are always.constrained (also limited)...by our budget. -
- The declining economy has..limited...job opportunities.
They are planning regulations that ..limit..development.
We are always.constrained (also limited)...by our budget. -
- The declining economy has..limited...job opportunities.
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Thank you too, A. Stars. I have a question for you. When would you use "constrain" instead of "limit/restrict"? Referring to most of the online dictionaries didn't help much and most of them define constrain as "limit/restrict:.
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Yes, constrain does sound good in these sentences. I think limit can be used in your first sentence. I wouldn't use limit or restrict in 2 and 3, but I don't really know why. What does constrain add to the meaning?
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