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
  • Allisha Gray tied her career high with 32 points to lead all scorers, while Angel Reese finished with another double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.
    — Micahya Costen, AJC.com, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The MacBook Neo is inextricably tied to the iPhone Pro's release date.
    — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of tied
Verb
  • Authorities immediately launched a rescue operation involving firefighters, police, the National Disaster Response Force and civic officials but efforts were hampered by narrow access lanes that prevented the use of heavy machinery, officials said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Recovery efforts for the spacecraft, known as Ship 40, have been hampered by challenging conditions and rough seas.
    — Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of hampered
Adjective
  • Four Paws, the international animal-welfare organization overseeing the transfer, described it as one of the largest relocations of captive big cats in the world.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Before the transfers began last month, the park housed 30 belugas and four dolphins, notably the last captive whales and dolphins in Canada.
    — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of captive
Verb
  • The pickle brine impeded the wine’s crisp finish, too, leaving me with a flat-feeling, dense-tasting glass.
    — Elliott Harrell, Bon Appetit Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • Folks who are hundreds of miles away from the forest are impeded by wildfire smoke.
    — Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 29 July 2026
Definition of impeded
Adjective
  • And the Hemings family was an enslaved family, an enslaved Black family on Monticello's plantation who - which included Sally Hemings, who was the daughter of Elizabeth Hemings and John Wayles.
    — Terry Gross, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Historian Jennifer Morgan similarly contends that enslaved women’s reproductive capacities were essential for the economic logic of hereditary racial slavery.
    — Kari Traylor, JSTOR Daily, 29 July 2026
Definition of enslaved
Verb
  • Regulations still fail to properly safeguard community health, Alfaro said, especially for children whose development can be hindered after pesticide exposure.
    — Vince Basada, Sacbee.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • But Oleh’s transition did more or less coincide with the Russian invasion, which has severely hindered his ability to live freely and openly at a time when men are expected to serve their country in the armed forces.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of hindered
Adjective
  • However, daylight will feel very subdued with a noticeable dimming.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • The second slide shows daughter Taylor, 15, and son Brayden, 10, smiling in front of a subdued sunset.
    — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 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 17 Aug. 2026.

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