limited power
Restricted control capacity
Limited power describes authority or capacity that is constrained by boundaries, rules, or conditions.
In government, it refers to systems where no branch or official holds absolute control: The Constitution establishes a government of limited powers.
The phrase applies to any situation where someone has some authority but not complete freedom to act: The committee has limited power to make changes without board approval.
- mandateFormal authoritative directive
- bureaucracyRigid administrative system
- delegationTransferring responsibility downward
- rubber stampAutomatic approval device
- minority rightsSafeguards for underrepresented populations
constitution · executive order · impeachment · judicial review · scarcity · checks and balances · federalism · cognitive bias · burnout · running on empty · term limits · veto · agency · legal documentation · checked · separation of powers · capped · tethered
- power of attorneyagent, principal, attorney-in-fact, proxy, healthcare proxy
limited powerunlimited power
Authority without constraint
absolute power · tyranny · despotism · autocracy · dictatorship
limited powerunlimited power
Authority without constraint
omnipotence · absolute power · supreme power · full power · absolutism