limited

[ lim-i-tid ]

adjective

1. confined within limits; restricted or circumscribed:

   a limited space; limited resources.

2. Government. restricted with reference to governing powers by limitations prescribed in laws and in a constitution, as in limited monarchy limited government
3. characterized by an inability to think imaginatively or independently; lacking originality or scope; narrow:

   a rather limited intelligence.

4. Chiefly British.
   1. responsible for the debts of a company only to a specified amount proportionate to the percentage of stock held.
   2. (of a business firm) owned by stockholders, each having a restricted liability for the company's debts.
   3. (usually initial capital letter) incorporated; Inc. : Ltd.
5. (of railroad trains, buses, etc.) making only a limited number of stops en route.

noun

1. a limited train, bus, etc.

limited

/ ˈlɪmɪtɪd /

adjective

1. having a limit; restricted; confined
2. without fullness or scope; narrow
3. (of governing powers, sovereignty, etc) restricted or checked, by or as if by a constitution, laws, or an assembly

   limited government

4. (of a train) stopping only at certain stations and having only a set number of cars for passengers
5. (of a business enterprise) owned by shareholders whose liability for the enterprise's debts is restricted

noun

1. a limited train, bus, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈlimitedness, noun
• ˈlimitedly, adverb

Other Words From

• limit·ed·ly adverb
• limit·ed·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of limited¹

First recorded in 1545–55; limit + -ed ²

Example Sentences

Having lost the backing of the Sierra Club, America’s anti-immigration movement turned more explicitly to climate change — and to one of Zuckerman’s Sierra Club colleagues, Leon Kolankiewicz, an environmental planner versed in sprawl and impact studies and a longtime proponent of the idea that the planet had a limited carrying capacity.

From Salon

Toobin said live, on CNN, that the pair would have limited success because “there is a very boring and very important law called the Administrative Procedures Act, which governs how the government moves along in terms of changing how it works.”

From Salon

A limited number of people will be given access to the booking system at any one time.

From BBC

The Eddie Murphy-led “Coming 2 America” — which came in 2021, 33 years after the original — brought back many of its cast members but was limited to a streaming audience after its original theatrical distributor, Paramount Pictures, sold the film to Prime Video due to the pandemic.

From Los Angeles Times

The Camarillo area has limited resources dedicated to home hardening and defensible space management education and home-specific consultation visits.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• diminished
• insufficient
• minimal
• narrow
• poor
• reduced
• restricted
• small