noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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/ˌkɒnstɪˈpeɪʃən/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -eɪʃən
CMU ARPABET:K AA2 N S T AH0 P EY1 SH AH0 N
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A state of the bowels in which the evacuations are infrequent and difficult, or the intestines become filled with hardened faeces.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: costiveness
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
The act of crowding anything into a lesser space, or the state of being crowded or pressed together; condensation.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
the act of making something futile and useless (as by routine)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: stultification, impairment, deadening
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: degradation, debasement
4
noun
Meaning 4
irregular and infrequent or difficult evacuation of the bowels; can be a symptom of intestinal obstruction or diverticulitis
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
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.
Across languages
Translations
84 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
kaps
— state of bowels
Arabic:
إِمْسَاك
(ʔimsāk)
— state of bowels
Armenian:
փորկապություն
(pʻorkaputʻyun)
— state of bowels
Azerbaijani:
qəbiz
— state of bowels
Azerbaijani:
qəbəlik
— state of bowels
Azerbaijani:
qəbizlik
— state of bowels
Belarusian:
запо́р
(zapór)
— state of bowels
Bulgarian:
запек
(zapek)
— state of bowels
Catalan:
restrenyiment
— state of bowels
Cebuano:
tubol
— state of bowels
Chinese Mandarin:
便秘
(biànmì)
— state of bowels
Czech:
zácpa
— state of bowels
Danish:
forstoppelse
— state of bowels
Dutch:
constipatie
— state of bowels
Esperanto:
konstipo
— state of bowels
Esperanto:
mallakso
— state of bowels
Estonian:
kõhukinnisus
— state of bowels
Finnish:
ummetus
— state of bowels
French:
constipation
— state of bowels
Georgian:
ყაბზობა
(q̇abzoba)
— state of bowels
German:
Obstipation
— state of bowels
German:
Verstopfung
— state of bowels
Greek:
δυσκοιλιότητα
(dyskoiliótita)
— state of bowels
Hebrew:
עֲצִירוּת
— state of bowels
Hindi:
कब्ज
(kabj)
— state of bowels
Hindi:
कब्ज़
(kabz)
— state of bowels
Hungarian:
székrekedés
— state of bowels
Icelandic:
harðlífi
— state of bowels
Icelandic:
hægðatregða
— state of bowels
Indonesian:
sembelit
— state of bowels
Irish:
iatacht
— state of bowels
Italian:
stipsi
— state of bowels
Italian:
stitichezza
— state of bowels
Japanese:
便秘
(benpi)
— state of bowels
Korean:
변비
(byeonbi)
— state of bowels
Northern Kurdish:
zikgirî
— state of bowels
Ladino:
durera
— state of bowels
Latvian:
aizcietējums
— state of bowels
Macedonian:
запек
(zapek)
— state of bowels
Malayalam:
മലബന്ധം
(malabandhaṁ)
— state of bowels
Māori:
mate kōroke
— state of bowels
Māori:
mate kōreke
— state of bowels
Mongolian:
өтгөн хаталт
(ötgön xatalt)
— state of bowels
Navajo:
chąąʼ ééʼníʼ
— state of bowels
Norman:
constipâtion
— state of bowels
Norwegian Bokmål:
forstoppelse
— state of bowels
Norwegian Bokmål:
obstipasjon
— state of bowels
Norwegian Nynorsk:
forstopping
— state of bowels
Norwegian Nynorsk:
obstipasjon
— state of bowels
Pannonian Rusyn:
заткатосц
(zatkatosc)
— state of bowels
Pannonian Rusyn:
заднутосц
(zadnutosc)
— state of bowels
Persian:
یبوست
(yobusat)
— state of bowels
Piedmontese:
stitichëssa
— state of bowels
Polish:
konstypacja
— state of bowels
Polish:
obstrukcja
— state of bowels
Polish:
zaparcie
— state of bowels
Polish:
zatwardzenie
— state of bowels
Portuguese:
constipação
— state of bowels
Portuguese:
prisão de ventre
— state of bowels
Romanian:
constipație
— state of bowels
Russian:
запо́р
(zapór)
— state of bowels
Russian:
констипа́ция
(konstipácija)
— state of bowels
Scottish Gaelic:
teanntachd-cuim
— state of bowels
Serbo-Croatian:
констипација
— state of bowels
Serbo-Croatian:
затвор
— state of bowels
Serbo-Croatian:
konstipacija
— state of bowels
Serbo-Croatian:
zatvor
— state of bowels
Slovak:
zápcha
— state of bowels
Slovene:
zaprtje
— state of bowels
Spanish:
constipación
— state of bowels
Spanish:
estreñimiento
— state of bowels
Sranan Tongo:
afito
— state of bowels
Swedish:
förstoppning
— state of bowels
Tagalog:
tibi
— state of bowels
Tamil:
மலச்சிக்கல்
(malaccikkal)
— state of bowels
Thai:
ท้องผูก
— state of bowels
Tok Pisin:
bel i pas
— state of bowels
Turkish:
kabızlık
— state of bowels
Ukrainian:
запо́р
(zapór)
— state of bowels
Urdu:
قَبْض
(qabẓ)
— state of bowels
Vietnamese:
táo bón
— state of bowels
Welsh:
rhwymedd
— state of bowels
Yiddish:
פֿאַרשטאָפּונג
(farshtopung)
— state of bowels
Yiddish:
קאָנסטיפּאַציע
(konstipatsye)
— state of bowels
