cramped

¹ American  

[krampt] / kræmpt /

adjective

1. affected with a cramp in a muscle or muscles.

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cramped ² American  

[krampt] / kræmpt /

adjective

1. confined or severely limited in space.

   cramped closets.

2. 1. (of handwriting) with characters written small and crowded together.

   2. (of a style of writing) hard to understand; crabbed.

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cramped British  

/ kræmpt /

adjective

1. closed in; restricted

2. (esp of handwriting) small and irregular; difficult to read

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Other Word Forms

• crampedness noun

Etymology

Origin of cramped¹

First recorded in 1670–80; cramp ¹ + -ed ³

Origin of cramped²

First recorded in 1670–80; cramp ² + -ed ²

Explanation

A place that's cramped is uncomfortably small or crowded, like a cramped elevator with one too many riders or a cramped subway car at rush hour. This adjective comes from the verb cramp, "to restrict." When you're in a cramped situation, your movement is restricted in some way, often because there are too many people standing too close together, or simply because the space is too small. You might have a bedroom all to yourself, but if it's the size of a closet, you'll still feel cramped in there.

Example Sentences

These boats are often small and cramped, lacking in basic facilities like fresh water and sanitation.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

I’m in a cramped examination room at a clinic in Panama City.

From Slate • Mar. 30, 2026

The pair, who live in a cramped studio apartment in a crumbling colonial-era building, can’t afford butter or mayonnaise, so breakfast is a piece of plain bread.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026

But institutional investment enables hundreds of thousands of families to live in homes, rather than cramped apartments.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

There was a pitcher and washbasin in the cramped lavatory.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

Related Words

• crowded
• narrow
• packed
• small
• tiny