noun / adjective
strait
Confining within narrow limits.
The stranded hikers are in dire straits as darkness falls.
Etymology
The French ancestor means narrow or constricted. The adjective preserves tight confinement, distinct from straight meaning without a bend.
More examples
- Even in financial straits, she refuses to borrow money.
- Without emergency funding, the clinic faces desperate straits.
- The sermon urges us to follow the strait and narrow path.
Forms
strait · straits · straiter · straitest
Similar words
- plight
- Describes an unfortunate situation without specifically emphasizing limited options.
- predicament
- Emphasizes a difficult problem that is hard to resolve.
- restrictive
- Describes rules or conditions that limit freedom of action.