Definition

1. Noun:
   • A medical condition: The state of having difficulty in emptying the bowels, characterized by infrequent or hard stools.
   • The act of causing obstruction or sluggishness: A formal or literary use meaning the act of making something slow, blocked, or ineffective.

Usage and Examples

• Medical Condition:
  • Eating more fiber can help relieve constipation.
  • A common side effect of this medication is constipation.
• Formal/Literary Meaning (less common):
  • The constipation of bureaucratic processes delayed the project for months. (Here, it metaphorically describes a system being slowed or blocked.)

Advanced Usage

• "to suffer from constipation": To experience the medical condition.
  • The patient suffers from chronic constipation.
• "to cause/lead to constipation": To be the reason for the condition.
  • Dehydration can often lead to constipation.

Variants and Related Words

• Constipate (verb): To cause constipation in someone.
  • Some painkillers can constipate patients.
• Constipated (adjective): Suffering from constipation.
  • He felt bloated and constipated.

Synonyms

• Medical: Irregularity, costiveness (archaic).
• Formal: Obstruction, blockage, stagnation.

Antonyms

• Medical: Diarrhea, regularity.
• Formal: Facilitation, flow.

Notes on Meaning

The primary and most frequent use of "constipation" is medical. The secondary meaning of causing something to be blocked or sluggish is rare and typically found in formal or technical writing. In everyday language, it almost always refers to the health condition.

Noun

1. the act of making something futile and useless (as by routine)
2. irregular and infrequent or difficult evacuation of the bowels; can be a symptom of intestinal obstruction or diverticulitis