constricted
Made more narrow
Constricted means made narrower or tighter, squeezed inward.
Blood vessels constrict, throats constrict with emotion, pupils constrict in bright light.
The word often implies uncomfortable restriction: Her chest felt constricted with anxiety.
Figuratively, a constricted life or worldview is one hemmed in, lacking room to expand.
Pressed firmly together
- compressedReduced by pressure
- tightenedMade more secure
- narrowedMade less wide
- pinchedStole or squeezed tightly
contracted · clenched · strangled · choked · throttled · cinched · tight · taut
Depriving of air
- strangledKilled by throat compression
- chokedHad airway blocked
- asthmaticHaving reactive airways
- wheezingHarsh, whistling respiration
gasping · smothered · stifled · breathless · airless · labored · claustrophobic · panicked
Held under control
- restrictedLimited in scope
- impededObstructed or slowed
- hamperedObstructed or restricted
- hinderedSlowed or obstructed
obstructed · confined · cramped · shackled · bound · trapped · limited · inhibited
Neck's inner passage
- airwayPassage for breath
- arteryOxygen-rich blood conduit
- veinVessel toward heart
- vesselReceptacle for contents
channel · tunnel · corridor · strait · isthmus · gorge · ravine · canyon
Held back by self-consciousness
- repressedHeld back from expression
- guardedWary and restrained
- withdrawnEmotionally distant, disengaged
- uptightAnxiously rigid in manner
tense · anxious · defensive · closed-off · reserved · stifled · suppressed · self-conscious
squeezed
Pressed firmly together
- compressedReduced by pressure
- tightenedMade more secure
- narrowedMade less wide
pinched · contracted · clenched · strangled · choked · throttled · cinched · tight · taut · rigid
suffocating
Depriving of air
wheezing · gasping · smothered · stifled · breathless · airless · labored · claustrophobic · panicked · hyperventilating
restrained
Held under control
- restrictedLimited in scope
- impededObstructed or slowed
- hamperedObstructed or restricted
hindered · obstructed · confined · cramped · shackled · bound · trapped · limited · inhibited · encumbered
throat
Neck's inner passage
vessel · channel · tunnel · corridor · strait · isthmus · gorge · ravine · canyon · passage
inhibited
Held back by self-consciousness
- repressedHeld back from expression
- guardedWary and restrained
- withdrawnEmotionally distant, disengaged
uptight · tense · anxious · defensive · closed-off · reserved · stifled · suppressed · self-conscious · uncomfortable
constricteddilated
Made wider or larger
expanded · widened · open · distended · unconstricted
constrictedopen
Not closed
unobstructed · unrestricted · free · unimpeded · clear
- boa constrictorSnake that crushes prey
constrict, constriction, constrictor, constricting, constricts, constrictive, constrictors, unconstricted