CONSTIPATION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does constipation mean? 

• CONSTIPATION (noun)
  The noun CONSTIPATION has 2 senses:

1. irregular and infrequent or difficult evacuation of the bowels; can be a symptom of intestinal obstruction or diverticulitis

2. the act of making something futile and useless (as by routine)

  Familiarity information: CONSTIPATION used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CONSTIPATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Irregular and infrequent or difficult evacuation of the bowels; can be a symptom of intestinal obstruction or diverticulitis

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

constipation; irregularity

Hypernyms ("constipation" is a kind of...):

symptom ((medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "constipation"):

dyschezia (difficulty in defecating (usually as a consequence of long continued voluntary suppression of the urge to defecate))

fecal impaction (accumulation of hardened feces in the rectum or lower colon which the person cannot move)

obstipation (severe constipation resulting from an obstruction in the intestines)

Derivation:

constipate (cause to be constipated)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of making something futile and useless (as by routine)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

constipation; deadening; impairment; stultification

Hypernyms ("constipation" is a kind of...):

debasement; degradation (changing to a lower state (a less respected state))

 Context examples 

They can also cause dry mouth and constipation.

(Overactive Bladder, NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

A question about an individual's constipation at its worst.

(Constipation at its Worst, NCI Thesaurus)

There are many things you can do to prevent constipation.

(Constipation, NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

An orally available formulation containing naloxol, a derivative of the opioid antagonist naloxone, conjugated with polyethylene glycol (PEG), with opioid-induced constipation (OIC)-relieving activity.

(Oral Pegylated Naloxol, NCI Thesaurus)

If you have symptoms, they may include blood on your underwear or on toilet paper after a bowel movement, blood in your stool, or constipation or diarrhea lasting more than a week.

(Colonic Polyps, NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Diseases)

The majority of patients have Hirschsprung disease (colonic enlargement and constipation due to intestinal blockage).

(Mowat-Wilson Syndrome, NCI Thesaurus)

It helps digestion and helps prevent constipation.

(Dietary Fiber, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Diphenoxylate acts on opioid receptors in the gastrointestinal tract, thereby decreasing gastrointestinal motility and causing constipation or preventing diarrhea.

(Diphenoxylate, NCI Thesaurus)

Additional pharmacological effects of fentanyl include anxiolysis, euphoria, feelings of relaxation, respiratory depression, constipation, miosis, and cough suppression.

(Fentanyl citrate, NCI Thesaurus)

You may also have fever, nausea, vomiting, chills, cramping, and constipation.

(Diverticulosis and Diverticulitis, NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)