Meanings
present singular third person circumscribes · participle present circumscribing · participle past circumscribed · past circumscribed
- To limit narrowly; to restrict.
"Well, I promise you to circumscribe her conquests as much as possible by extending my own," returned Henrietta. "It will be an easy task; for Miss Churchill does not do 'the honours of her eyes.' I often tell her her beauty is quite wasted upon her."
1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Asking for an Invitation”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 291 more example
It is tempting to speculate about the incentives or compulsions that might explain why anyone would take to the skies in [the] basket [of a balloon]: […]; perhaps to moralise on the oneness or fragility of the planet, or to see humanity for the small and circumscribed thing that it is; […].
2013 June 7, David Simpson, “Fantasy of navigation”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 36
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latincircumscrībō
- Englishcircumscribe
From Latin circumscrībō, from circum (“around”) + scrībō (“write”). By surface analysis, circum- + scribe.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian очертавам, окръжавам
- очертавам (očertavam)to draw a line around; encircle
- окръжавам (okrăžavam)to draw a line around; encircle
- ограничавам (ograničavam)to limit narrowly; restrict
- описвам (opisvam)to draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
Catalan circumscriure, circumscriure
- circumscriureto draw a line around; encircle
- circumscriureto limit narrowly; restrict
- circumscriureto draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
Czech obmalovat, obkroužit
- obmalovatto draw a line around; encircle
- obkroužitto draw a line around; encircle
- ohraničitto limit narrowly; restrict
- omezitto limit narrowly; restrict
- opsatto draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
Danish omskrive
- omskriveto draw a line around; encircle
Dutch omcirkelen, beperken
- omcirkelento draw a line around; encircle
- beperkento limit narrowly; restrict
- limiterento limit narrowly; restrict
Esperanto ĉirkaŭskribi
- ĉirkaŭskribito draw a line around; encircle
Estonian ümbritsema, kitsendama
- ümbritsemato draw a line around; encircle
- kitsendamato limit narrowly; restrict
- piiritlemato draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
Finnish ympyröidä, rajoittaa
- ympyröidäto draw a line around; encircle
- rajoittaato limit narrowly; restrict
- piirtää ympärito draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
- piirtää ympyrä monikulmion kärkien kauttato draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
French circonscrire, circonscrire
- circonscrireto draw a line around; encircle
- circonscrireto limit narrowly; restrict
- circonscrireto draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
German einkreisen, eingrenzen
- einkreisento draw a line around; encircle
- eingrenzento limit narrowly; restrict
Hebrew תחם, הגביל
- תחם (takhám)to draw a line around; encircle
- הגביל (higbíl)to limit narrowly; restrict
Polish obwodzić, obwieść
- obwodzićto draw a line around; encircle
- obwieśćto draw a line around; encircle
- okrążaćto draw a line around; encircle
- okrążyćto draw a line around; encircle
- ograniczaćto limit narrowly; restrict
- ograniczyćto limit narrowly; restrict
- opisywaćto draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
- opisaćto draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
Portuguese circunscrever, circular
- circunscreverto draw a line around; encircle
- circularto draw a line around; encircle
- circunscreverto limit narrowly; restrict
- restringirto limit narrowly; restrict
- delimitarto limit narrowly; restrict
- circunscreverto draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
Romanian circumscrie
- circumscrieto draw a line around; encircle
Russian опи́сывать, описа́ть
- опи́сывать (opísyvatʹ)to draw a line around; encircle
- описа́ть (opisátʹ)to draw a line around; encircle
- ограни́чивать (ograníčivatʹ)to limit narrowly; restrict
- ограни́чить (ograníčitʹ)to limit narrowly; restrict
- оче́рчивать (očérčivatʹ)to draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
- очерти́ть (očertítʹ)to draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
- опи́сывать (opísyvatʹ)to draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
- описа́ть (opisátʹ)to draw a circle, sphere, or higher-dimensional ball
Spanish circunscribir, circunscribir
- circunscribirto draw a line around; encircle
- circunscribirto limit narrowly; restrict
Swedish omskriva, begränsa
- omskrivato draw a line around; encircle
- begränsato limit narrowly; restrict
- kringskärato limit narrowly; restrict
- kringgärdato limit narrowly; restrict
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with circumscribe
Cite this entry
circumscribe. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/circumscribe
“circumscribe.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/circumscribe. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “circumscribe,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/circumscribe.
Source: circumscribe on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.