Constipationtrouble emptying the bowels, often with hard, dry, infrequent stools is usually a medical word for having trouble emptying the bowelsthe part of the body that moves waste through the lower digestive tract, especially when stools are hard, dry, or infrequent. It can also be used in a broader, less common sense for a state of mental or creative blockagesomething that prevents movement, progress, or free flow, but that is not the everyday meaning most people search for.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-11-03. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Pronunciation
AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).
Accent: General American English
IPA: /ˌkɑnstəˈpeɪʃən/
Easy pronunciation: kahn-stuh-PAY-shun (approximate spelling).
Stress: Primary stress is on PAY; secondary stress is on the first syllable.
Medical sense: irregular, infrequent, or difficult bowel movements.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-11-03. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Constipation Meaning
Trouble pooping regularly.
Part of speech: noun
Definition: Irregular, infrequent, or difficult bowel movements.
Example: The pain medicine left her with constipation for several days.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- irregularity — Works as a rough medical synonym, though it is broader and less specific than constipation.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-11-03. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Other Meanings of Constipation
Meaning 2
Making something dull, blocked, or ineffective.
Part of speech: noun
Definition: The act of making something futile, dull, or useless through routine or other limiting influences.
Example: The long approval process led to the stultification of new ideas.
Synonyms for this meaning:
- stultification — A genuine synonym for this figurative sense.
- deadening — Can fit this sense, but it is less precise and often describes the effect rather than the process.
- impairment — Related in meaning, but broader and less exact than constipation in this figurative use.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: inaccurate — correction needed. Checked: 2026-11-03. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Constipation Synonyms
Similar Meaning
- irregularity
Making something dull, blocked, or ineffective
- stultification
- deadening
- impairment
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: inaccurate — correction needed. Checked: 2026-11-03. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Common Mistakes
- Do not confuse constipation with the figurative sense meaning mental or creative blockage.
- Do not use constipation to mean any general stomach problem; it specifically refers to difficulty passing stool.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-11-03. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does constipation mean?
Constipation usually means having infrequent or difficult bowel movements. It can also refer to a figurative sense of blockage or dulling, but that is much less common.
What is the simple meaning of constipation?
It means trouble pooping regularly.
What are some synonyms for constipation?
A rough synonym in the medical sense is irregularity. In the figurative sense, words like stultification can fit better.
Is constipation always a medical term?
Most of the time, yes. In everyday English, it usually refers to bowel trouble.
Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-11-03. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.
