as in escaped
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1
as in loosened
to set free (from a state of being held in check)
unleashed all of his unspoken love for her in a long letter that he hoped he would have the courage to mail
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in released
to find emotional release for
lifting weights is a way for me to unleash all the frustrations of the workday
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Recent Examples of unleashed
Paul M. Sutter, Scientific American, 27 Mar. 2026
Powerful seismic waves instantly toppled almost every building in the port city of Yokohama, sent a wall of water crashing across the coast of the island of Honshu, and unleashed mudslides that inundated fishing villages and buried inhabitants alive.
—Joshua Hammer, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026
Speaking to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Leo seemed keenly aware that the #MeToo movement had unleashed revelations around the world of abuses committed against adults in vulnerable situations within the church.
—ABC News, 16 Mar. 2026
At the cemetery, drug-war widows unleashed on him the full force of their anger and anguish.
—Sheila Coronel, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
Germany’s newly unleashed defense budget, for example, is momentously important.
—Liam Denning, Bloomberg, 12 Mar. 2026
Iran’s capital was engulfed in a cloud of toxic smoke that unleashed black rainfall dozens of miles away on Sunday after overnight Israeli strikes on several fuel depots caused fires to burn for hours.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 8 Mar. 2026
Or is this elite, dominant version of Draymond merely lying dormant, conserving energy until the playoffs arrive, just waiting to be unleashed fully?
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026
The Navy also has unleashed submariners, with a sub sinking an Iranian ship with a torpedo.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
Residents along Oahu's North Shore, famous for its big wave surfing, were cleaning up from the worst flooding to hit Hawaii in two decades when a storm Monday unleashed several inches of rain on the southern part of the island.
—ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026
Residents along Oahu’s North Shore, famous for its big wave surfing, were cleaning up from the worst flooding to hit Hawaii in two decades when a storm Monday unleashed several inches of rain on the southern part of the island.
—Audrey McAvoy, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
But as the region teeters on the brink of a new and dangerous escalation, yet more negative consequences – like the evils that escaped Pandora’s box – could soon be unleashed.
—Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 23 Mar. 2026
Trump’s policies mark a complete reversal from those of President Joe Biden, who unleashed a flurry of actions intended to slow planet-warming pollution from the power sector and other industries and encourage use of electric vehicles.
—Matthew Daly, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Mar. 2026
Trailing 102-91, Houston unleashed a 23-7 stampede, burying the Heat under a barrage of three-pointers.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2026
The surge in crude prices unleashed by the Middle East conflict upends that and piles further pressure on the public finances.
—Ian King, CNBC, 18 Mar. 2026
The attack in Florida came after a husband-wife shooting team unleashed a hail of gunfire in San Bernardino, California.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 14 Mar. 2026
Adjective
This is the faint thermal afterglow from some 380,000 years after the big bang that was unleashed when the hot, foglike plasma that filled the early universe cooled and cleared as primordial atomic nuclei bonded with free electrons.
—Paul M. Sutter, Scientific American, 27 Mar. 2026
Powerful seismic waves instantly toppled almost every building in the port city of Yokohama, sent a wall of water crashing across the coast of the island of Honshu, and unleashed mudslides that inundated fishing villages and buried inhabitants alive.
—Joshua Hammer, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026
Speaking to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Leo seemed keenly aware that the #MeToo movement had unleashed revelations around the world of abuses committed against adults in vulnerable situations within the church.
—ABC News, 16 Mar. 2026
At the cemetery, drug-war widows unleashed on him the full force of their anger and anguish.
—Sheila Coronel, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026
Germany’s newly unleashed defense budget, for example, is momentously important.
—Liam Denning, Bloomberg, 12 Mar. 2026
Iran’s capital was engulfed in a cloud of toxic smoke that unleashed black rainfall dozens of miles away on Sunday after overnight Israeli strikes on several fuel depots caused fires to burn for hours.
—Rebecca Schneid, Time, 8 Mar. 2026
Or is this elite, dominant version of Draymond merely lying dormant, conserving energy until the playoffs arrive, just waiting to be unleashed fully?
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026
The Navy also has unleashed submariners, with a sub sinking an Iranian ship with a torpedo.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2026
Verb
Most immediately, Luther’s Reformation unleashed civil conflict and rebellion throughout the lands of Charles V, who was the heir to the Hapsburg dynasty.
—Literary Hub, 25 Mar. 2026
Residents along Oahu's North Shore, famous for its big wave surfing, were cleaning up from the worst flooding to hit Hawaii in two decades when a storm Monday unleashed several inches of rain on the southern part of the island.
—ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026
Residents along Oahu’s North Shore, famous for its big wave surfing, were cleaning up from the worst flooding to hit Hawaii in two decades when a storm Monday unleashed several inches of rain on the southern part of the island.
—Audrey McAvoy, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026
But as the region teeters on the brink of a new and dangerous escalation, yet more negative consequences – like the evils that escaped Pandora’s box – could soon be unleashed.
—Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 23 Mar. 2026
Trump’s policies mark a complete reversal from those of President Joe Biden, who unleashed a flurry of actions intended to slow planet-warming pollution from the power sector and other industries and encourage use of electric vehicles.
—Matthew Daly, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Mar. 2026
Trailing 102-91, Houston unleashed a 23-7 stampede, burying the Heat under a barrage of three-pointers.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2026
The surge in crude prices unleashed by the Middle East conflict upends that and piles further pressure on the public finances.
—Ian King, CNBC, 18 Mar. 2026
The attack in Florida came after a husband-wife shooting team unleashed a hail of gunfire in San Bernardino, California.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 14 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unleashed
Adjective
-
His car was found on the Turkey Creek Bridge near Denver, where he had been abducted by an escaped murderer, Joseph Corbett, looking for a quick get-rich scheme.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave, pleaded with President Lincoln to allow Blacks to be able to join the Union.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Meanwhile, the administration has given billions of dollars in tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy and loosened regulations on banks while easing rules around cryptocurrency.—
Elizabeth Robinson,
NBC news,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Seven of those states loosened their relicensing policies during that time.—
Joel Rose,
NPR,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Estimates broken down by city are expected to be released in May.—
Chris Higgins,
Kansas City Star,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Details on what led to the crash or the extent of Schwabe’s injuries have not been released.—
Sofia Saric,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Teens will have unfettered ability to trade stocks, bonds and most ETFs and mutual funds.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
26 Mar. 2026
-
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, a Democrat, accused the company of allowing predators unfettered access to underage users and connecting them with victims, often leading to real-world abuse and human trafficking.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Law enforcement vehicles can’t normally be unlocked from the back seat.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
-
But in return, DLSS 5 unlocked a new level of immersion.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The cap just seems unchained now.—
Jeremy Rutherford,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
However, on multiple visits to the neighborhood, the two dogs were unchained in the yard during different times of the day and night, the Herald observed.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Then Alex Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time goal scorer uncorked a vintage rocket on the power play and the Avs lost the lead with less than six minutes to play.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
22 Mar. 2026
-
That sealed a 9-6 victory for Canada that looked very unlikely half an hour before when Mouat, arguably the best shot-maker on the planet, uncorked another double take-out to give the British a 5-4 lead after six ends.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unleashed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unleashed. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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