His father died when he was ten, leaving the family in straitened circumstances...
There is much talk of cuts in the diplomatic service in these straitened times.
English dictionary. 2008.
straitened — (adj.) c.1600, too narrow; 1716, reduced to hardship; see STRAIT (Cf. strait) (n.). Phrase straitened circumstances recorded from 1766 … Etymology dictionary
straitened — index poor (underprivileged) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
Straitened — Straiten Strait en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Straitened}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Straitening}.] 1. To make strait; to make narrow; hence, to contract; to confine. [1913 Webster] Waters, when straitened, as at the falls of bridges, give a roaring noise.… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
straitened — adjective formal in straitened circumstances in a difficult situation because of a lack of money: an elderly spinster living in straitened circumstances … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
straitened — adj. Straitened is used with these nouns: ↑circumstance … Collocations dictionary
straitened — Synonyms and related words: Lenten, Spartan, abstemious, ascetic, austere, badly off, bound, bounded, conditioned, confined, copyrighted, cramped, desperate, destitute, disciplined, distressed, down to bedrock, dwarfed, dwarfish, embarrassed,… … Moby Thesaurus
straitened — strait|ened [ˈstreıtnd] adj formal [Date: 1500 1600; Origin: strait narrow ; STRAIT] not having enough money, especially not as much as you had before ▪ the straitened circumstances of post war Japan … Dictionary of contemporary English
straitened — strait|ened [ streıtnd ] adjective FORMAL made difficult by financial problems: straitened circumstances … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
straitened — adjective our straitened circumstances improved once Desmond got his first teaching job Syn: impoverished, poverty stricken, poor, destitute, penniless, as poor as a church mouse, in penury, impecunious, unable to make ends meet, in reduced… … Thesaurus of popular words
straitened — UK [ˈstreɪt(ə)nd] / US adjective formal made difficult by financial problems straitened circumstances … English dictionary
