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

Example Sentences

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

It moved out of a cramped, rented office and bought a 10,500-square-foot, two-story building as its headquarters.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026

Their cramped and outdated Aspmyra Stadium -- built in 1966 -- can hold just over 8,200 spectators and the team came close to bankruptcy in 2016.

From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026

In April 1960, Francis Crick and Jacob met at Sydney Brenner’s cramped apartment in Cambridge to discuss the identity of this mysterious intermediate.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Related Words

• crowded
• narrow
• packed
• small
• tiny