unfettered

adjective un·fet·tered \ ˌən-ˈfe-tərd \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of unfettered

: free, unrestrained

unfettered access

See unfettered defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of unfettered from the Web

The only other person who has regular, unfettered access to it is Scavino, and a source familiar with their relationship said this alone signals just how much Trump trusts him.

— kevin liptak, CNN, "Trump's 'mini me' could (partly) fill Hicks' void," 30 Mar. 2018
The president has a virtually unfettered power to pardon under the US Constitution.

— sean illing, Vox, "I asked 11 legal experts if Trump’s lawyer obstructed justice," 29 Mar. 2018
Can Finally Attend Live Soccer Matches for the First Time May also reportedly stressed the need for a political solution to the war in Yemen and urged Saudi Arabia to allow unfettered humanitarian and commercial access.

— joseph hincks, Time, "Theresa May Discusses Human Rights With Saudi Crown Prince as He Arrives to Protests in the U.K.," 8 Mar. 2018
Still the university allowed him to continue working as a sports medicine doctor — with unfettered access to girls and young women — for 16 months while university police conducted its review.

— kristen jordan shamus, Detroit Free Press, "MSU's Lou Anna Simon arrives to court a day late and empathy short," 18 Jan. 2018
But putting another check into the system—removing one person's unfettered ability to destroy the world—will create another essential, lasting safeguard for the U.S. and the planet.

— the editors, Scientific American, "No One Should Have Sole Authority to Launch a Nuclear Attack," 1 Aug. 2017
For one thing, heedless motorists are the number-one impediment to the unfettered enjoyment of our favorite activity.

— eben weiss, Outside Online, "Self-Driving Cars Won't Save Cyclists," 28 Mar. 2018
Adjustments to zoning regulations could protect historic church buildings (and their wildly attractive footprint) from unfettered redevelopment.

— duke kwon, Washington Post, "The tragedy to communities when church buildings are demolished to make condos," 28 Mar. 2018
The diplomats said the United States fought to keep language in the resolution that called for an immediate start to the ceasefire and unfettered humanitarian access without delay.

— laura koran, CNN, "Nikki Haley berates Russia, UN colleagues over Syria: 'This should be a day of shame'," 27 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unfettered.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

A fetter is a chain or shackle for the feet (as on a prisoner), or, more broadly, anything that confines or restrains. The word derives from Middle English "feter" and shares a relationship with Old English fot, meaning "foot." In current English "unfettered" typically suggests that someone or something is figuratively "unchained," or unrestrained in progress or spirit. The poet John Donne is believed to have been the first to use "unfettered" in this way, in his 1601 work The Progress of the Soule: "To an unfetterd soules quick nimble hast / Are falling stars, and hearts thoughts, but slow pac'd."