Straitjacket

/ˈstɹeɪtˌd͡ʒækɪt/ noun, verb

noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A jacket-like garment with very long sleeves which can be secured in place, thus preventing the wearer from moving his or her arms. Often used in psychiatric hospitals to prevent patients from injuring themselves or others.
  • Grammar: straitjacket is listed as noun, verb.
  • Nearest alternatives: straightjacket, anchor, bilbo, bind.
  • Useful contrasts: autonomy, empower, flexibility.
  • Usage evidence: After playing a theremin, all other instruments make you feel like you're in a straitjacket.

How to use "straitjacket"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "straitjacket" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "straitjacket" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "straitjacket" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "straitjacket" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "straitjacket" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "straightjacket" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "straitjacket", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A jacket-like garment with very long sleeves which can be secured in place, thus preventing the wearer from moving his or her arms. Often used in psychiatric hospitals to prevent patients from injuring themselves or others.

    "There’s a couple of people actually wearing duct-tape straitjackets."

  2. 2
    a garment similar to a jacket that is used to bind the arms tightly against the body as a means of restraining a violent person wordnet
  3. 3
    Any situation seen as confining or restricting. figuratively

    "our ever-increasing bureaucratic straitjacket of regulations"

  4. 4
    anything immaterial that severely hinders or confines wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To put someone into a straitjacket. literally

    "What he asked himself now was,—could Miss Edge and Miss Baker, in order to get him out of the house, have set Birt onto Elizabeth, be in league with the man to break a poor old fellow down by simply driving his sad girl out of her wits? To have her straitjacketted even, muffled in a padded room?"

  2. 2
    To restrict the freedom of, either physically or psychologically. broadly

    "Charles for five whole days in a Victorian topper and tailcoat when he practically had to be straitjacketted to get him into tails for a three-hour wedding?"

Example

"After playing a theremin, all other instruments make you feel like you're in a straitjacket."

Common questions

What does "straitjacket" mean?

A jacket-like garment with very long sleeves which can be secured in place, thus preventing the wearer from moving his or her arms. Often used in psychiatric hospitals to prevent patients from injuring themselves or others.

What is a synonym for "straitjacket"?

Common synonyms include: straightjacket, anchor, bilbo, bind, bind, bond.

How do you use "straitjacket" in a sentence?

After playing a theremin, all other instruments make you feel like you're in a straitjacket.

How do you pronounce "straitjacket"?

Pronounced /ˈstɹeɪtˌd͡ʒækɪt/.

Etymology

From strait (“restrictive”) + jacket.

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