as in to free
to set free (as from slavery or confinement)
authorities eventually unfettered the menagerie of wild animals that had been kept illegally as pets
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Recent Examples of unfetter
As spring ends, maple trees begin to unfetter winged seeds that flutter and swirl from branches to land gently on the ground.
—
Nikk Ogasa, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2021
His long run in office, however, delivered only partial victories on his two primary ambitions: to unfetter Japan’s military after decades of postwar pacifism and to jump-start and overhaul its economy through a program known as Abenomics.
—New York Times, 8 July 2022
The Safdies are pointedly effective in capturing the way in which a chaotic city’s overall rhythm goes on unfettered even as a character experiences a horrific disruption or glitch in one small part of it.
—Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2019
By manufacturing satellite components in space, Made In Space hopes to unfetter some of those launch constraints.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 2 Aug. 2019
By manufacturing satellite components in space, the company hopes to unfetter some of those launch constraints.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 29 July 2019
Unfettered by worries about his relationship, Caldwell thrived.
—Jason Blevins, The Denver Post, 18 May 2017
Nikk Ogasa, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2021
His long run in office, however, delivered only partial victories on his two primary ambitions: to unfetter Japan’s military after decades of postwar pacifism and to jump-start and overhaul its economy through a program known as Abenomics.
—New York Times, 8 July 2022
The Safdies are pointedly effective in capturing the way in which a chaotic city’s overall rhythm goes on unfettered even as a character experiences a horrific disruption or glitch in one small part of it.
—Jon Caramanica, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2019
By manufacturing satellite components in space, Made In Space hopes to unfetter some of those launch constraints.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 2 Aug. 2019
By manufacturing satellite components in space, the company hopes to unfetter some of those launch constraints.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 29 July 2019
Unfettered by worries about his relationship, Caldwell thrived.
—Jason Blevins, The Denver Post, 18 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfetter
Verb
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The inmates took over, killing guards and freeing everyone; Trent helped himself to a dead guard’s uniform, radio and weapon (as well as the knife sticking out of his chest), and used it to pose as a law-enforcement official helping manage the chaos as people flocked to Paradise in their cars.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
4 Mar. 2025
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In the fall, massive interest in the Menendez case and freeing the brothers erupted following the runaway success of Ryan Murphy‘s Netflix limited seroes Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story.—
Kevin Dolak,
The Hollywood Reporter,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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This might fly in the face of everything a business leader has been taught about being an expert, but trust me, the results of this kind of thinking are liberating.—
Christian Davies FCSD,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
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That was really liberating at the time for women and looked scary to men.—
A Martínez,
NPR,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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He was released by the Chargers on March 5, saving the team $25.36 million in salary cap space.—
Dianna Russini,
The Athletic,
12 Mar. 2025
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The warning was released on Tuesday at 7:54 a.m., and the last update regarding this incident was released on Tuesday at 8:08 a.m.—
Kansas City Star Bot,
Kansas City Star,
11 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Dozens of times a year, a governor will appeal to the president to be rescued from a disaster.—
Kelly McKinney,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2025
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Chappy, the gray baby seal that was rescued from downtown New Haven, Conn., has died due to gastrointestinal issues.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The month when winter’s icy grip starts to loosen, and the promise of spring is just around the corner.—
Matt Rozo,
The Mercury News,
28 Feb. 2025
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This helps loosen the lime’s membranes and break down the cell walls in the pulp, which can encourage the fruit to release more juice when squeezed. Try a little heat.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
27 Feb. 2025
Verb
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In February 1991, the child star emancipated herself at the age of 14 and moved into an apartment of her own.—
Nicole Briese,
People.com,
22 Feb. 2025
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Under this framework, any slaves coming voluntarily to Union lines were effectively emancipated.—
Scott Spillman,
The New Yorker,
29 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unfetter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfetter. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
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