variants
also straightjacket
as in confinement
a jacket that has long arms which can be tied together behind someone's back and that is used to control the movement (as of a violent prisoner or patient)
The magician struggled to free his arms from the straitjacket and escape from the tank of water he was submerged in.
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of straitjacket
Lagrange’s method, despite seeming like a mere mathematical convenience at the time, loosened the straitjacket of Newton’s mechanistic view of the universe as a sequence of falling dominos.
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Charlie Wood, WIRED, 3 Nov. 2024
Many have plausibly claimed that his insistence on fitting a diverse society into the straitjacket of modern secular nationalism led successive governments to respond brutally when citizens wanted to keep speaking Kurdish or wearing headscarves.
—Nick Danforth, Foreign Affairs, 6 Jan. 2015
To be sure, in the past decade Democrats and Republicans have abandoned the fiscal straitjacket of the Nineties, drifting away from laissez-faire economics and toward more nationalist policies on trade, infrastructure, and immigration.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 25 Aug. 2024
Several contemplate vibrant futures for the L.A. River, tearing out concrete flood-control straitjackets along its banks and reviving the waterway with abundant plants and wildlife, as well as walking paths.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for straitjacket 
Charlie Wood, WIRED, 3 Nov. 2024
Many have plausibly claimed that his insistence on fitting a diverse society into the straitjacket of modern secular nationalism led successive governments to respond brutally when citizens wanted to keep speaking Kurdish or wearing headscarves.
—Nick Danforth, Foreign Affairs, 6 Jan. 2015
To be sure, in the past decade Democrats and Republicans have abandoned the fiscal straitjacket of the Nineties, drifting away from laissez-faire economics and toward more nationalist policies on trade, infrastructure, and immigration.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 25 Aug. 2024
Several contemplate vibrant futures for the L.A. River, tearing out concrete flood-control straitjackets along its banks and reviving the waterway with abundant plants and wildlife, as well as walking paths.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for straitjacket
Recent Examples of Synonyms for straitjacket
Noun
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This means Jaynes is either in a residential reentry center or in home confinement.Tim Evans, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Dec. 2024
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According to the Miami Herald, Shapiro had been released from prison in 2020 as part of a COVID-era program to move inmates to home confinement.Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 14 Dec. 2024
Noun
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What China needed was something like a final emperor, the breaker of the despotic chain who would summon modernity by fiat.Chang Che, The New Yorker, 21 Dec. 2024
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Don't focus on loyalty programs (some of the best international hotels are not affiliated with large chains that provide points for a stay).T+L Editors, Travel + Leisure, 21 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Tech leaders often fall into the trap of isolating themselves within their domains.Emil Sayegh, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
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Carlo Ancelotti’s team fell into that trap 12 times, with headline summer signing Mbappe responsible for eight of those.Laia Cervelló Herrero, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Washington sported a short-sleeve Balmain midi dress featuring a double collar and a knotted detail at the waistline.Hannah Malach, WWD, 19 Dec. 2024
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Steal her style with this calf-skimming brown coat from ASOS complete with a notch collar, roomy pockets, and front buttons.Averi Baudler, People.com, 19 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Straitjacket.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/straitjacket. Accessed 6 Jan. 2025.
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