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straitjacket

straitjacket

7 7.5
A situation that greatly limits freedom and progress
  • noun
  • /ˈstreɪtˌdʒækɪt/
translation icon : camisa de fuerza
  • So it is not always them, but the system that applies a straitjacket to their responses and actions.

You spend the whole time having to to get out of the straitjacket of that term.

Examples

  • Thus, as always happens, foreign policy finds itself dependent upon and limited by a straitjacket made up of economic variables.

    Academic text (1991)
  • It could broaden the horizons of our own minds, freeing them from the straitjacket of our own convictions and the blind spots in our perception.

  • You spend the whole time having to to get out of the straitjacket of that term.

  • Sometimes married people get into an emotional straitjacket, and it's kind of hard for them to express how they truly feel about each other.

  • Federal judges have openly complained that the guidelines put them in a virtual straitjacket.

    Academic text (2007)
  • If schools are serious about improving education, they must break loose from the straitjacket imposed by many current scheduling practices.

    Academic text (1991)
  • For others, the "strict structure feels like a straitjacket," charting a path too narrow and confining.

    Academic text (2005)
  • As a general rule, historical mythology has the effect of constraining the past in the straitjacket of a repetitive narration.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Many artists feel confined by the straitjacket of traditional styles that stifle their creativity.

  • His career was placed in a straitjacket by the strict company policies that limited innovation.

Synonyms

restriction
vsstraitjacket
340 3.0

A rule or action that limits what you can do

is a severe limiting situation that strongly prevents progress rather than setting limits
chain
vsstraitjacket
199 5.6

Something that limits a person's freedom or progress

is a severe limiting situation that restricts development more completely than other barriers
restraint
vsstraitjacket
44 3.9

A rule or measure that limits what people can do

is a severe limiting situation that reduces growth more intensely than rules
constraint
vsstraitjacket
22 4.6

A thing that stops or controls movement to keep people and machines safe

is a severe limiting situation that blocks long term development more than limits
stranglehold
vsstraitjacket
17 8.0

A strong control that prevents others from changing things or acting freely

is a severe limiting situation focused on stopping development rather than direct control
yoke
vsstraitjacket
  • Literature
9 8.6

A system that keeps people under control and stops them being free

is a severe limiting situation focused on blocking personal progress and growth
chokehold
vsstraitjacket
3 8.0

A strong control that stops people or groups from acting freely

is a severe limiting situation that limits progress rather than physical force
bridle
vsstraitjacket
2 7.0

Something that limits a person's actions or power

is a severe limiting situation that goes beyond simple control to stop progress
restrictiveness
vsstraitjacket
1 7.3

Limiting what people can do

is a severe limiting situation meaning an extreme enforced limitation

Antonyms

1.0

The right to act, speak, or think as you want without being stopped

127 3.9

The act of setting people free from control or unfair treatment

How Restrictive

straitjacket
7 7.5
constraint
86 4.6
restriction
340 3.0
to limit
2.1

Surface Forms

straitjacket singular
straitjackets plural

Morphology

straitjacket = strait + jacket (semi-transparent) = strait + jacket

The immediate base is the compound 'strait' + 'jacket' (literal tight garment); the figurative sense is a metaphorical extension from that literal base rather than a new morphological formation.

Etymology

A helpful way to remember the figurative use of straitjacket is to think of strait as 'tight' and jacket as 'coat'. A 'tight coat' stops movement, so we call any rule or situation that severely limits freedom or progress a straitjacket.