1
as in restriction
something that limits one's freedom of action or choice
a time-honored tradition is fine as long as it doesn't become a fetter that prevents us from trying something new
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in obstacle
something that makes movement or progress difficult
claims that government regulations are unnecessary fetters that keep him from achieving his business goals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in chain
something that physically prevents free movement
considered a seat belt a pointless fetter—until one saved his life in an auto accident
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to bind
to confine or restrain with or as if with chains
museum artifacts that serve as somber reminders of the days when slaves were fettered with irons
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to impede
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
the belief that too many rules and restrictions fetter children's creativity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fetter
Lia Beck, EW.com, 25 June 2025
But Trump famously wriggles free from such fetters and resists being hemmed in.
—Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2024
Rumors circulated before the killing of Khashoggi that King Salman was concerned enough to consider putting some fetters on his heir.
—Daniel Benjamin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Oct. 2018
The solution to this question can be reached not by deifying the nation, but on the contrary by completely liberating productive forces from the fetters imposed upon them by the national state.
—Foreign Affairs, 18 Dec. 2011
One man even contrived somehow to get across while still in iron fetters.
—Adam Goodheart, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Sep. 2023
Its stage is where King Kong broke his fetters in the 1933 movie.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2023
And then there’s the New Deal, another famous attempt to slap fetters on the rough beast of capitalism.
—Jonah Goldberg, National Review, 22 Nov. 2019
This early recording is unique—brisk and pugnacious, a stormy, bitter Schubert raging against his earthly fetters and then distilling his passions, in the last movement, into headlong lunges, dazzling whirls, and delicate pirouettes.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2020
Ella Lee, The Hill, 19 Mar. 2025
Our vote, secret and simple, not fettered by any AI or the eyes of an authoritarian who threatens those who disagree with him, ensures that our union endures.
—John D. Witiak, Baltimore Sun, 6 July 2024
Ruskin felt insulted and legally fettered by the verdict.
—Adrian Dannatt, New York Times, 6 Dec. 2023
Certain wandered between rows of mannequins fettered with leg irons, claustrophobic dungeon cells and a towering guillotine.
—Jeremy Redmon, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2023
After the beating, he was fettered in iron chains around his ankles, which would rub his skin raw.
—Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 12 Sep. 2023
Teddy Roosevelt broke up the trusts, regulated the food supply, created the National Park System, and fettered the railroads.
—Jonah Goldberg, National Review, 22 Nov. 2019
Botany was also often fettered to expertise in gardening, another activity that fell within the realm of the feminine.
—Amandas Ong, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2018
In many developing countries, girls face two starkly divergent paths: one fettered by gender inequality and cut short by early childbearing and the other offering personal fulfillment and economic improvement that benefit families and nations.
—Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Apr. 2018
Noun
Like all great period romances, Maurice places aching desire at the forefront, with the men's palpable yearning made all the more soul-shattering by the fetters of their time.
—Lia Beck, EW.com, 25 June 2025
But Trump famously wriggles free from such fetters and resists being hemmed in.
—Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2024
Rumors circulated before the killing of Khashoggi that King Salman was concerned enough to consider putting some fetters on his heir.
—Daniel Benjamin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Oct. 2018
The solution to this question can be reached not by deifying the nation, but on the contrary by completely liberating productive forces from the fetters imposed upon them by the national state.
—Foreign Affairs, 18 Dec. 2011
One man even contrived somehow to get across while still in iron fetters.
—Adam Goodheart, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Sep. 2023
Its stage is where King Kong broke his fetters in the 1933 movie.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2023
And then there’s the New Deal, another famous attempt to slap fetters on the rough beast of capitalism.
—Jonah Goldberg, National Review, 22 Nov. 2019
This early recording is unique—brisk and pugnacious, a stormy, bitter Schubert raging against his earthly fetters and then distilling his passions, in the last movement, into headlong lunges, dazzling whirls, and delicate pirouettes.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2020
Verb
It’s become a common refrain by the government that the president’s executive power cannot be fettered by the courts.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 19 Mar. 2025
Our vote, secret and simple, not fettered by any AI or the eyes of an authoritarian who threatens those who disagree with him, ensures that our union endures.
—John D. Witiak, Baltimore Sun, 6 July 2024
Ruskin felt insulted and legally fettered by the verdict.
—Adrian Dannatt, New York Times, 6 Dec. 2023
Certain wandered between rows of mannequins fettered with leg irons, claustrophobic dungeon cells and a towering guillotine.
—Jeremy Redmon, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2023
After the beating, he was fettered in iron chains around his ankles, which would rub his skin raw.
—Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 12 Sep. 2023
Teddy Roosevelt broke up the trusts, regulated the food supply, created the National Park System, and fettered the railroads.
—Jonah Goldberg, National Review, 22 Nov. 2019
Botany was also often fettered to expertise in gardening, another activity that fell within the realm of the feminine.
—Amandas Ong, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2018
In many developing countries, girls face two starkly divergent paths: one fettered by gender inequality and cut short by early childbearing and the other offering personal fulfillment and economic improvement that benefit families and nations.
—Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Apr. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fetter
Noun
-
Hamas has been issuing more statements criticizing Israel's restrictions on food aid to Gaza.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
31 July 2025
-
The Ada County commissioners will meet again Sept. 10 to make a decision on solar restrictions.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
31 July 2025
Noun
-
Extreme heat can also be an obstacle to exercising, spending time in nature, and socializing, all of which can make people feel good and also double as important coping mechanisms for emotional distress.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
26 July 2025
-
This pattern of persecution, especially when combined with ongoing habitat loss, has likely contributed to low recruitment and remains a major obstacle to population recovery.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
26 July 2025
Noun
-
The only remnants of the once thriving fast-casual chain restaurant are the imprints of large block letters that hung on the façade of the building, and a single, unused rotisserie.—
Lyndsay C. Green,
Freep.com,
21 July 2025
-
The decision to expedite the full-time MBA program followed the standard campus approval chain, including the College of Business, Graduate Council and Faculty Senate, Toms said.—
Ryan Anderson,
Arkansas Online,
20 July 2025
Verb
-
The prosthetics that bound Brie and Franco together for up to 10 hours forced them to even go to the bathroom at the same time.—
Topher Gauk-Roger,
People.com,
30 July 2025
-
But some of these things we are contractually bound to, we’re obligated to run 50 trains a day.—
Carlton Gillespie,
Sun Sentinel,
30 July 2025
Verb
-
Though no charges have been filed, the probe was backed by DOJ leadership and stemmed from a memo by former Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, now a Trump judicial nominee, urging prosecution of state actors who impede immigration enforcement.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 July 2025
-
Agents were executing a search warrant at the farm and arrested several individuals on suspicion of impeding the operation, according to Essayli.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
Davis is a magnetic front man, and the Roadhouse Band is an intoxicatingly raucous live outfit, but the constraints of the setup suited his new material, which is suffused with listlessness and yearning, dark jokes and wordy disquisitions on desire.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
-
The graphic novel format gave him the freedom to imagine without limitation—unbound by the logistical constraints of filmmaking.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
Operating the scanner on the dharanis presented a hurdle, however.—
Andrew Paul Jul 24,
Popular Science,
24 July 2025
-
One reason for the unexpectedly slow pace is that the Chinese companies have not cleared a key engineering hurdle.—
Selam Gebrekidan,
New York Times,
24 July 2025
Verb
-
Often, that type of production on a bad team (which the Sixers were at the time due to a plethora of injuries) would be tied to middling efficiency, but that wasn't the case with Grimes.—
Morten Stig Jensen,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
-
Jeremy Camp and Casting Crowns are tied for the second-most Christian AC Airplay No. 1s, with 13 each.—
Jim Asker,
Billboard,
30 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fetter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fetter. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share