What does constipated mean?
'Constipated' is an adjective describing the condition of having difficulty passing stools — bowels that are blocked, hardened, or unusually infrequent. It is the standard everyday word for this common digestive complaint, used freely by doctors and laypeople alike, though many speakers soften it in polite company with terms like 'irregular'. The word derives from the Latin 'constipare', meaning to press or pack closely together, which is why the condition feels aptly named. Beyond its literal medical meaning, 'constipated' has developed a productive figurative life: journalists and critics apply it to bureaucracies, markets, or creative processes that have become sluggish, congested, or unable to move forward. In these uses it carries a mildly pejorative tone, suggesting blockage rather than mere slowness. Common collocations include 'badly constipated', 'chronically constipated', and 'feel constipated'. Its noun form, 'constipation', names the condition itself, while the verb 'constipate' is rare outside clinical writing. Understanding 'constipated' is useful both for discussing health plainly and for deploying one of English's more vivid metaphors for obstruction and stagnation.
Affected by constipation; having difficult or infrequent evacuation of the bowels.
"The toddler was constipated after switching to solid foods."
Blocked or sluggish; unable to operate, flow, or progress freely.
"A constipated supply chain left shelves empty for weeks."
This extended sense is common in journalism and business commentary and is always metaphorical rather than literal.
The Latin root of 'constipated' literally means 'packed tightly together' — so when you're constipated, your body is doing exactly what the word says.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of constipated
'Constipated' comes from the Latin verb 'constipare', meaning 'to press or crowd tightly together', formed from 'con-' (together) and 'stipare' (to pack or cram). The term passed into English via late Latin and post-classical medical usage, entering the language around the early modern period. It shares its root with 'constipation' (the noun) and is distantly related to 'costive', an older and now largely literary synonym for constipated that came through French from the same Latin stem. The figurative sense of blockage and sluggishness grew naturally out of the literal medical meaning.
Related word forms
How constipated is actually used
'Constipated' is a common everyday word in both British and American English, neutral in medical settings but somewhat indelicate in polite conversation, where euphemisms like 'irregular' are sometimes preferred. The figurative sense — describing sluggish processes or institutions — is well established in journalism and commentary and carries a mildly critical tone.
Easily confused with constipated
Constipation is the noun naming the condition itself, while constipated is the adjective describing a person or thing affected by it.