Origin: Latin suffix -tion
Limitation has 6 different meanings across 1 category:
a principle that limits the extent of something
"I am willing to accept certain restrictions on my movements"
the quality of being limited or restricted
"it is a good plan but it has serious limitations"
the greatest amount of something that is possible or allowed
"there are limits on the amount you can bet"
"it is growing rapidly with no limitation in sight"
an act of limiting or restricting (as by regulation)
"The new environmental limitation on factory emissions was enforced immediately to protect air quality."
The act of limiting or the state of being limited.
"The primary limitation of the new software is its inability to process files larger than ten megabytes."
In plain English: A limitation is something that stops you from doing as much as you want to do.
"The old computer has a speed limitation that makes large files take forever to open."
Usage: Use limitation to describe an inherent restriction on ability, scope, or quantity rather than a deliberate rule imposed by someone else. It often pairs naturally with words like legal, physical, or technical when specifying what is constrained.
The word limitation comes from the Latin term limitatio. It entered English as a noun formed by adding the suffix -ation to the root meaning "boundary."