feel constrained

idiom

: to feel that one must do something
She felt constrained to apologize for the harm she'd done.

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Instead, much of the industry research efforts feel constrained by a desire to reinforce comfortable narratives rather than disrupt them. — Jahan Marcu, Rolling Stone, 29 Jan. 2025 So why, with such a radiant double center, does Days of Wine and Roses feel constrained, a little narrow and flat? — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 28 Jan. 2024

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“Feel constrained.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feel%20constrained. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.

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