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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By eliminating or at least reducing manual, error-prone processes, these applications free up finance teams to focus on strategic initiatives like scaling operations and optimizing capital allocation.—
Carlos Vega,
Forbes.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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But the original poster disagreed, arguing that the line was in fact freeing.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The policies announced on Liberation Day seem unlikely to liberate investors and business folk from their fears.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2025
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Avoiding the dilemma of either yielding to Russian nuclear threats and allowing the loss of NATO territory or risking nuclear escalation in attempting to liberate NATO territory would require conventional defenses capable of halting a Russian incursion at the border.—
Mark S. Bell,
Foreign Affairs,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
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McFarland previously pleaded guilty to fraud charges related to the disastrous first Fyre Festival and was released from prison in 2022 after serving less than four years.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
4 Apr. 2025
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Of the 83 songs featured on these seven albums, 74 have never been released in any form.—
Justin Porter,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Hundreds had to be rescued, and most of the deaths were caused by vehicles getting stuck in high water.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2025
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All five people were rescued and transported to Bay Area Hospital with minor injuries.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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There's a flexible hose to nab hard-to-reach messes, a transparent crevice tool for corners and sofa cushions, as well as a dust brush to loosen hair and dust from upholstery.—
Clara McMahon,
People.com,
6 Apr. 2025
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In 1992, President Hafez al-Assad — the father of Bashar al-Assad, who was overthrown last year — loosened the limits.—
Ephrat Livni,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2025
Verb
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At the age of 14, Culkin emancipated himself from his parents.—
Janelle Ash,
Fox News,
14 Mar. 2025
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The mother-daughter duo went their separate ways when Drew was emancipated at the age of 14.—
Nicole Briese,
People.com,
22 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unfetter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfetter. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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