as in bound
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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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Recent Examples of fettered
Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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
Adjective
-
The bound paper booklets in which students hand-write their responses to test questions have surged in popularity during the AI explosion.—
Jamil Zaki,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
-
The Dodgers’ split-squad group that journeyed the 14 miles from Glendale (and ultimately lost to Texas, 7-6) was largely a skeleton crew of Triple-A bound prospects and wannabes.—
Tim Cowlishaw,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The investigation comes as global health officials continue monitoring a rare hantavirus outbreak tied to the MV Hondius luxury cruise ship that has sickened multiple passengers and crew members and left three people dead.—
Brittany Miller,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
-
The system is designed to help technicians quickly identify faults by reviewing operational logs and maintenance histories tied to a robot’s ID.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
But most summit speakers treated circularity—a nebulous concept at the best of times—largely as an engineering challenge, one hampered by immature infrastructure, policy gaps and weak economics.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
15 May 2026
-
The company is seeking to create a Duchenne gene therapy that is more effective and safer than Sarepta Therapeutics’ Elevidys, which has been hampered by safety concerns, particularly following the deaths of two recipients from liver failure.—
Jason Mast,
STAT,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
What started with bison hooves helping to restore the prairie grass continues through the Turner Endangered Species Fund, which gives the Bolson tortoise — North America’s largest and rarest tortoise — a leg up through a captive breeding program at the Armendaris Ranch in New Mexico.—
Susan Montoya Bryan,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
-
For the first four years, the captive had no claims from the taxpayer's operating business.—
Jay Adkisson,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Goalkeeper Bernd Leno was the victim both times, impeded by Kevin Schade and then Igor Thiago.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
-
In the Jazz Age, the culture and the style that Bradley was soaking up every night were information that white performers craved, but which racial segregation impeded them from accessing.—
Brian Seibert,
New Yorker,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
Martha Custis, at age 26, became a very wealthy widow with two young children, a 17,500-acre plantation to manage, and responsible for almost 300 enslaved people.—
Kurt Snibbe,
Oc Register,
8 May 2026
-
Djimon Hounsou played Maximus’ right-hand man and closest ally, a Black Numidian man taken from his home as an enslaved gladiator.—
Brendan Le,
PEOPLE,
5 May 2026
Verb
-
His game was based on his athletic prowess in the challenges and ability to provide food to camp, and hindered by his lack of social strategy, which proved to be his downfall each of the four times he’s previously returned.—
Nic Juarez,
Vulture,
12 May 2026
-
So that lack of continuity may have hindered him, possibly.—
Ed Guzman,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
The Sixers were embarrassed by the Knicks 144-114 in Game 4 in front of a New York-heavy crowd in South Philadelphia.—
Tom Dougherty,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
-
That this series has flipped on its head seemed almost impossible last Sunday, when the Celtics embarrassed Philadelphia in a Game 4 win on the Sixers’ home floor.—
Tobias Bass,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fettered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fettered. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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