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hemmed in

ADJECTIVE
cramped
Synonyms
STRONGEST
crowded narrow packed small tiny
STRONG
circumscribed close confined crabbed pent restricted squeezed
WEAK
awkward closed in illegible incommodious indecipherable irregular jammed in little minute tight tucked up two-by-four uncomfortable
Antonyms
STRONGEST
big broad-minded empty enormous generous huge large
WEAK
free open uncongested uncramped uncrowded uninhibited unobstructed
ADJECTIVE
enclosed
Synonyms
STRONG
encompassed girdled surrounded
ADJECTIVE
limited
Synonyms
STRONGEST
defined finite narrow
STRONG
bound bounded checked circumscribed confined constrained controlled curbed delimited fixed hampered local modified particular qualified reserved restrained sectional
WEAK
determinate precise topical
Antonyms
STRONGEST
unrestricted
STRONG
extroverted free general indefinite outgoing unbounded unlimited
WEAK
OK adequate limitless satisfactory sufficient

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Despite being close to the coast, players and spectators cannot see the sea, with the tight plot of land hemmed in by a railway track and houses.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

The freedom of full-time travel often seems to strike a chord with people who feel hemmed in by jobs and mortgages, family commitments and responsibilities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026

I suspect that the movie might be too smart for its own good, or perhaps hemmed in by a cynicism that, everywhere we look lately, it appears that crime does pay.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 2026

Instead, it was a wide, empty street hemmed in by police barricades and a few enormous screens.

From Slate • Jan. 3, 2026

I looked at him and believed he spoke the truth, he seemed less fettered than he had been before, more modern, more human, he was not hemmed in by shadows.

From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier