constipated

[ kon-stuh-pey-tid ]

adjective

1. having a condition of the bowels in which the feces are dry and hardened and evacuation is difficult and infrequent:

   Most constipated people need more fluids and fiber.

2. slow-moving or immobilized, as by overregulation, backlogs, etc.:

   Such an approach only adds to a bloated bureaucracy and constipated decision-making.

3. overly stiff, repressed, or conventional; uptight:

   She describes her husband as “emotionally constipated.”

constipated

/ ˈkɒnstɪˌpeɪtɪd /

adjective

1. suffering from constipation
2. subject to restriction or blockage in a flow of productive activity or creativity

Other Words From

• un·con·sti·pat·ed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of constipated¹

First recorded in 1540–50; constipat(e) ( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

Scene after scene was filled up with white actors in bathrobes all reciting their lines like they were constipated.

From The Daily Beast

The bowels are constipated, and to this the feverish symptoms apparently owe their origin.

From Project Gutenberg

The well-being of the body is of the utmost importance: a clogged and constipated body is no medium for inspiration.

From Project Gutenberg

If the bowels are constipated relief should be sought in the manner we have just mentioned in speaking of constipation.

From Project Gutenberg

It is frequently the case that pregnant females, instead of being constipated are afflicted with severe diarrha.

From Project Gutenberg

During the greater part of the time he was confined to the house, the bowels were constipated, requiring daily purgatives.

From Project Gutenberg