[con.straint] n [ME, fr. MF constrainte, fr. constraindre] (15c) 1 a: the act of constraining b: the state of being checked, restricted, or compelled to avoid or perform some action "the ~ and monotony of a monastic life --Matthew Arnold" c: a constraining condition, agency, or force: check "put legal ~s on the board's activities"
2. a: repression of one's own feelings, behavior, or actions b: a sense of being constrained: embarrassment