constricted

/kənˈstrɪkɾɪd/

/kənˈstrɪktɪd/

If something is constricted, it's squeezed or inhibited in some way. If your neck is constricted by turtleneck sweaters, you might feel more comfortable in a sweatshirt.

There are a couple of different ways to be constricted. When someone has a serious allergic reaction to shellfish or peanuts, their constricted throat, which is swelling and narrowing, requires immediate medical treatment. If you're constricted by your seat mates on an airplane, you simply feel like you don't have enough room to move around freely. You can also be constricted more figuratively: "I feel so constricted by my curfew — I can't stay out past 8 p.m. on school nights."

Definitions of constricted

1. adjective

   drawn together or squeezed physically or by extension psychologically
   “a constricted blood vessel”

   “a constricted view of life”

   synonyms:

   narrowed

   made narrow; limited in breadth

   pinched

   as if squeezed uncomfortably tight

   stenosed, stenotic

   abnormally constricted body canal or passage

   antonyms:

   unconstricted

   not constricted physically or by extension psychologically

   open

   without undue constriction as from e.g. tenseness or inhibition
2. adjective

   especially tense; especially in some dialects
   synonyms:

   tense

   pronounced with relatively tense tongue muscles (e.g., the vowel sound in `beat')