English Reference

Word

constipation

Phoneticscon·sti·pa·tion

US/ˌkɑnstəˈpeɪʃən/

UK/kˌɒnstɪpˈeɪʃən/

Definitions

01medical condition

B2 · Medicine

n. a condition where you cannot empty your bowels easily or often enough.

n. a condition of the digestive system in which bowel movements are infrequent, difficult, or painful. Uncountable in general reference; countable when referring to specific episodes.

“Eating more fiber and drinking water can help prevent constipation.”

“Chronic constipation may be a symptom of underlying dietary issues or a side effect of certain medications.”

Synonyms

costivenessirregularity

Antonyms

02lack of progress

C1

n. a situation where something is blocked and cannot move or develop.

n. a state of being crowded, obstructed, or unable to flow or progress freely. Often used in technical or formal contexts to describe systems or traffic.

“The new laws caused a kind of legal constipation in the courts.”

“The bureaucratic constipation within the department meant that even the simplest requests took months to process.”

Formal

Antonyms

Real-World Examples

“For astronauts in space, constipation is a well-known problem.”
Phys.org · 14 Aug 2026
“And, like any medication, there can be side effects to using Foundayo, including nausea, diarrhoea, constipation and vomiting.”
BBC News · 10 Aug 2026

Etymology

First attested in the beginning of the 15ᵗʰ century, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English constipacioun, borrowed from Medieval Latin constīpātiō or its Old French equivalent, from cōnstīpō + -tiō. By surface analysis, constipate + -ion.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference