Adjacent Words

Limitation definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

LIMITA'TION, n. [L. limitatio.]
1. The act of bounding or circumscribing.
2. Restriction; restraint; circumscription. The king consented to a limitation of his prerogatives. Government by the limitation of natural rights secures civil liberty.
3. Restriction; confinement from a lax indeterminate import. Words of general import are often to be understood with limitations.
4. A certain precinct within which friars were allowed to beg or exercise their functions.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a principle that limits the extent of something; "I am willing to accept certain restrictions on my movements" [syn: restriction, limitation]
2: the quality of being limited or restricted; "it is a good plan but it has serious limitations"
3: the greatest amount of something that is possible or allowed; "there are limits on the amount you can bet"; "it is growing rapidly with no limitation in sight" [syn: limit, limitation]
4: (law) a time period after which suits cannot be brought; "statute of limitations"
5: an act of limiting or restricting (as by regulation) [syn: limitation, restriction]

Merriam Webster's

noun Date: 14th century 1. an act or instance of limiting 2. the quality or state of being limited 3. something that limits ; restraint 4. a certain period limited by statute after which actions, suits, or prosecutions cannot be brought in the courts • limitational adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 the act or an instance of limiting; the process of being limited. 2 a condition of limited ability (often in pl.: know one's limitations). 3 a limiting rule or circumstance (often in pl.: has its limitations). 4 a legally specified period beyond which an action cannot be brought, or a property right is not to continue. Etymology: ME f. L limitatio (as LIMIT)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Limitation Lim`i*ta"tion (-t[=a]"sh[u^]n), n. [L. limitatio: cf. F. limitation. See Limit, v. t.] 1. The act of limiting; the state or condition of being limited; as, the limitation of his authority was approved by the council. They had no right to mistake the limitation . . . of their own faculties, for an inherent limitation of the possible modes of existence in the universe. --J. S. Mill. 2. That which limits; a restriction; a qualification; a restraining condition, defining circumstance, or qualifying conception; as, limitations of thought. The cause of error is ignorance what restraints and limitations all principles have in regard of the matter whereunto they are applicable. --Hooker. 3. A certain precinct within which friars were allowed to beg, or exercise their functions; also, the time during which they were permitted to exercise their functions in such a district. --Chaucer. Latimer. 4. A limited time within or during which something is to be done. You have stood your limitation, and the tribunes Endue you with the people's voice. --Shak. 5. (Law) (a) A certain period limited by statute after which the claimant shall not enforce his claims by suit. (b) A settling of an estate or property by specific rules. (c) A restriction of power; as, a constitutional limitation. --Wharton. Bouvier. To know one's own limitations, to know the reach and limits of one's abilities. --A. R. Wallace.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(limitations) 1. The limitation of something is the act or process of controlling or reducing it. All the talk had been about the limitation of nuclear weapons. ...damage limitation. N-UNCOUNT: usu with supp, oft N of n 2. A limitation on something is a rule or decision which prevents that thing from growing or extending beyond certain limits. ...a limitation on the tax deductions for people who make more than $100,000 a year... There is to be no limitation on the number of opposition parties. N-VAR: usu N on n 3. If you talk about the limitations of someone or something, you mean that they can only do some things and not others, or cannot do something very well. Parents are too likely to blame schools for the educational limitations of their children. N-PLURAL: usu with poss 4. A limitation is a fact or situation that allows only some actions and makes others impossible. This drug has one important limitation. Its effects only last six hours. N-VAR: usu with supp

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Restriction, restraint.

Moby Thesaurus

absolute interest, allowance, benefit, border line, bound, boundary, boundary condition, boundary line, bounds, bourn, break boundary, breakoff point, ceiling, cession, circumscription, claim, closeness, common, compass, concession, confine, confinement, confines, continence, contingent interest, cramp, cramping, crowdedness, cutoff, cutoff point, deadline, delimitation, determinant, discipline, division line, easement, end, equitable interest, equity, estate, exception, exemption, extenuating circumstances, extremity, finish, floor, frontier, grain of salt, grant, hair, hairbreadth, hairsbreadth, hedge, hedging, high-water mark, holding, incapaciousness, incommodiousness, interest, interface, limen, limit, limiting factor, line, line of demarcation, low-water mark, lower limit, march, mark, mental reservation, mete, moderation, modification, narrow gauge, narrowness, nearness, part, percentage, prescription, proscription, qualification, reservation, restrain, restrictedness, restriction, right, right of entry, salvo, settlement, slenderness, special case, special treatment, specialness, specification, stake, start, starting line, starting point, stint, straitness, strict settlement, strictness, stricture, target date, term, terminal date, terminus, threshold, tight squeeze, tightness, time allotment, title, trust, upper limit, use, vested interest, waiver