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
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
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
By manufacturing satellite components in space, Made In Space hopes to unfetter some of those launch constraints.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 2 Aug. 2019
Unfettered by worries about his relationship, Caldwell thrived.
—Jason Blevins, The Denver Post, 18 May 2017
New York Times, 8 July 2022
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
By manufacturing satellite components in space, Made In Space hopes to unfetter some of those launch constraints.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 2 Aug. 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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If confirmed by future research, the approach could provide a powerful new weapon to fight heart disease, the nation's leading killer, freeing people from the need to take statins and other cholesterol-lowering drugs every day.—
NPR,
NPR,
8 Nov. 2025
-
No-kill is about giving every pet in a shelter a fair chance and proving that with the right policies and practices in place, managing animal shelters doesn’t require killing dogs and cats simply to free up space.—
Scott Giacoppo,
Boston Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Lawrence is liberated from anything resembling propriety or self-consciousness here.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Owen predicted the coming of a new order that would liberate Americans from their plight.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
While the identities of the victims have not yet been released by authorities, the victims were all adults.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Lionsgate released the first official teaser trailer for the forthcoming Michael Jackson biopic, Michael, on Thursday.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The ship sank quickly, leaving 33 men to perish in the cold waters, and two to be rescued around 5 miles from Gull Island on a raft 15 hours later.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Saint Frances Wolf Sanctuary Saint Frances Wolf Sanctuary rescues wolves and wolf-dogs in need from across the country.—
Jill Robbins,
Southern Living,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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When drivers are operating the vehicles, the wheel’s seating surface may deform, causing the wheel nut to loosen and detach, leading to the wheel separating from the vehicle.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Gently remove the plant from its pot and loosen the roots.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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This is well over a dozen years before Black people are declared emancipated.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Sep. 2025
-
In the Revolutionary War itself, Britain’s Lord Dunmore had emancipated large numbers of southern slaves as a war measure—a fact well-known in both the 1770s and the 1860s.—
Akhil Reed Amar,
Time,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unfetter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfetter. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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