fettering

verb

present participle of fetter
1
as in binding
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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in impeding
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fettering
  1. binding
  2. impeding
  3. tying
  4. hampering
  5. confining
  6. hindering
  7. constraining
  8. obstructing
Verb
  • The formula is also packed with moisture-binding ingredients, including sodium lactate, PCA, and sodium PCA, alongside conditioning polymers that boost shine, softness, and manageability.
    — Madison San Miguel, Allure, 5 Sep. 2026
  • And the newest critical infrastructure rules went from exposure draft to binding law in 11 weeks.
    — Keegan Crage, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of binding
Verb
  • But what if the longer wavelengths of the embers could both extend the hours of socializing without heavily impeding our sleep cycle?
    — Mike McRae September 02, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The Supreme Court has been a fitful friend to Trump in his second term, alternately enabling and impeding him.
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of impeding
Verb
  • No murder weapon was ever recovered, adding to the lack of physical evidence tying Chandler to the crime scene.
    — Alexandra Schonfeld, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Astros starter Peter Lambert allowed three hits and two runs while tying a career high with five walks in 4 2/3 innings.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of tying
Verb
  • Birds visiting the feeder can get the goo on their wings, hampering their ability to fly and possibly leading to their untimely deaths.
    — Joan Morris, Mercury News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Rescuers will use an extrication device and a helicopter, Fathur said, adding that there were no reports of people missing and no challenges hampering the search.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of hampering
Verb
  • Frustrated with the confining nature of Japanese society, Kusama left for New York in 1957.
    — Kaori Kaneko, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • With Rear Window, Hitchcock and his collaborators miraculously craft an exhilarating, satisfying mystery-thriller while confining the protagonist to a single location.
    — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of confining
Verb
  • Back in Georgia, Brown is also facing a misdemeanor obstruction charge in Paulding County for lying and hindering an investigation, Paulding County Sheriff Ashley Henson told CNN affiliate WSB.
    — Avni Trivedi, CNN Money, 7 Sep. 2026
  • But Reddington disagreed, and argued that the juror appears to have a personal issue that is hindering them from being able to deliberate fairly, and that the juror should be replaced with an alternate.
    — Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of hindering
Verb
  • Corrales argues that college athletes are relatively insulated from the forces constraining study abroad.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 27 Aug. 2026
  • As the United States and China continue high-level talks, constraining the underground financial architecture of the illicit economy is an opportunity for a mutual diplomatic win.
    — Alvin Camba, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of constraining
Verb
  • He was booked into San Diego Central Jail on charges of felony evading a peace officer with wanton disregard for safety, obstructing or resisting a peace officer and driving under the influence of drugs, according to police.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Nipsco must prioritize people over profits, and our state and national leaders must stop obstructing the renewable infrastructure projects that offer a path toward true resilience.
    — Lori Latham, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of obstructing
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.

Browse Nearby Words

fettered
fettering
fetters
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fettering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fettering. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All