fettered 1 of 2

adjective

as in bound

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fettered

2 of 2

verb

past tense of fetter
1
as in tied
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hampered
to create difficulty for the work or activity of the belief that too many rules and restrictions fetter children's creativity

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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 fettered
Verb
Perhaps capitalism can be appropriately fettered within the confines of a select few cities, inspiring a nonviolent, nationwide socialist revolution. — Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026 While some players were able to weather that storm – defenseman Joel Edmundson played all 82 games for the first time in a career often fettered by injuries – others paid a price. — Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fettered
  1. bound
  2. tied
  3. hampered
  4. captive
  5. impeded
  6. enslaved
  7. hindered
  8. subdued
Adjective
  • The team checked this directly by computing how much of each galaxy's baryon budget actually stayed bound to the system.
    — Paul Sutter, Space.com, 9 June 2026
  • To help calculate a lower bound, Erdős assumed that the points would be laid out in a grid.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 1 June 2026
Definition of bound
Verb
  • Europe bets on unseasonable warmth Peter Taylor, head of commodity desk strategy at Macquarie, said Europe is essentially betting on a warm winter, a stance tied to the El Niño climate event.
    — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Organizers tied the showcase to the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Nepal and Japan, and said it is meant to deepen links between the two cities.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of tied
Verb
  • Cocoa production was hampered by extreme-weather issues for years, causing prices for the crop to surge.
    — Aoife Walsh, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
  • O’Connor, conversely, may be hampered by his sympathetic warmth.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of hampered
Adjective
  • Federal agencies have overlapping jurisdiction over captive marine mammals –– for sea lions, the USDA oversees their welfare and NOAA decides who can keep them for public display.
    — Valerie Greene, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
  • During captive-carry testing, engineers can assess equipment carried by an aircraft before proceeding to more demanding flight demonstrations.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of captive
Verb
  • The rangers moved the man off the glacier and made multiple attempts to airlift the man off the mountain, but rescue efforts were impeded by inclement weather.
    — Tim Fang, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • In his ruling, Judge Joseph Montano found that prosecutors had impeded grand jurors who wanted to hear from defense witnesses.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of impeded
Adjective
  • Her path crosses with that of Inocência, an enslaved Black woman who possesses healing knowledge, knows the land, and devises her own strategies of resistance.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Ten Southern state legislatures endorsed the idea by passing laws that allowed the freeing of an enslaved person only when deportation out of the state was arranged and paid for.
    — Karen Masterson, The Conversation, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of enslaved
Verb
  • This hindered Ukraine's ability to intercept drones and disrupted missions.
    — Ava Pukatch, NPR, 24 Oct. 2026
  • But the effects of the Middle East conflict, including the choked Strait of Hormuz, hindered that possibility.
    — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of hindered
Adjective
  • Oddly enough, her two Best Actress plays are both black-and-white, European period pieces, but while Rose is full of gender-bending swagger, Fatherland is a more subdued performance.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Making waves across industries like fashion, beauty, and even interior design, the sensual shade feels more subdued and high-end than alternative reds while being easy to style in the cold-weather months.
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of subdued

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Cite this Entry

“Fettered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fettered. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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