different between liability vs constraint

English

Etymology

From liable +? -ity.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /la???b?l?ti/
• Hyphenation: li?abil?ity

Noun

liability (countable and uncountable, plural liabilities)

1. An obligation, debt or responsibility owed to someone.
   • 1901, W. W. Jacobs, The Monkey's Paw

     "I was to say that Maw and Meggins disclaim all responsibility," continued the other. "They admit no liability at all, but in consideration of your son's services they wish to present you with a certain sum as compensation."

2. A handicap that holds something back, a drawback, someone or something that is a burden to whoever is required to take care of them; an individual or action that exposes others to greater risk.
   • 2016 January 31, "Is Huma Abedin Hillary Clinton’s Secret Weapon or Her Next Big Problem?," Vanity Fair (retrieved 21 January 2016):

     Asked if at some point Huma becomes a liability to Hillary, the long-term Clinton insider replies, “It’s like anything else. I don’t think so, but you know I don’t have any idea. Hillary is very loyal, but she’s obviously pragmatic.”

3. The likelihood of something happening.
4. The condition of being susceptible to something.

Antonyms

• asset

Derived terms

• enterprise liability
• limited liability
• limited liability company
• secondary liability
• strict liability
• vicarious liability

Translations

Anagrams

• alibility

English

Etymology

From Middle English constreynt, constreynte, from Old French constreinte, past participle of constreindre (“to constrain”), from Latin c?nstring? (corresponding to the past participle c?nstrictus).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k?n?st?e?nt/
• Rhymes: -e?nt

Noun

constraint (countable and uncountable, plural constraints)

1. Something that constrains; a restriction.
2. An irresistible force or compulsion.
3. The repression of one's feelings.
4. (mathematics) A condition that a solution to an optimization problem must satisfy.
5. (databases) A linkage or other restriction that maintains database integrity.

Derived terms

• constraint satisfaction

Related terms

• constrain
• constrict
• restraint

Translations

Further reading

• constraint on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• in contrast