1
as in restrictions
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 obstacles
something that makes movement or progress difficult
claims that government regulations are unnecessary fetters that keep him from achieving his business goals
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in handcuffs
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 binds
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 hinders
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
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Recent Examples of fetters
Jane Kamensky, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
Noun
The short life of Alexander Hamilton both feeds and fetters Vaill’s project.
—Jane Kamensky, The Atlantic, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fetters
Noun
-
Earlier this month, China significantly tightened its restrictions on rare earth elements, which make up a key input in semiconductors found in an array of products from cars to home appliances.—
Max Zahn,
ABC News,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Millions rely on them to bypass geographic restrictions, protect sensitive communications or simply browse more securely.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The creative journey, like most life journeys, has its obstacles, detours, side trips, and hazards.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
-
But formidable obstacles remain in the way of a durable peace in Gaza, where a ceasefire collapsed in March after nearly two months of relative calm when Israel unleashed a barrage of airstrikes.—
Alexander Cornwell,
USA Today,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Like the cumbersome, omnipresent sheriff's duty belt, complete with handgun, handcuffs and the works.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Cody Balmer, 36, appeared for the plea hearing at the Dauphin County Courthouse in Harrisburg wearing a dark red jumpsuit, handcuffs and ankle chains.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Love binds the Duncans together just as tightly as their secrets, making family both their greatest weapon — and their greatest weakness — in BET+'s The Family Business.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
-
That tells you a lot about the spiritual connection that binds our two countries.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
At the same time, the Administration has put pressure on tech firms to take down activity that hinders its agenda.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
15 Oct. 2025
-
In addition to delivering high-quality search results, this method hinders search-engine cheating; artificially boosting your web page by putting up a thousand pages linking to it won’t accomplish much if those pages have low status.—
Jack Murtagh,
Scientific American,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
About the Technology The new AI engine is designed to automatically interprets goals, constraints, and deliverables to generate structured project plans — complete with milestones, dependencies, and timelines.—
Maria Williams,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Acknowledging the club’s payroll constraints and the up-in-the-air ownership situation following reports that John Fisher intends to sell the team, Arena said the Quakes need to surround players like Martinez and Christian Espinoza, one of the top scoring duos in the league, with more talent.—
Evan Webeck,
Mercury News,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The journey to the pad involved challenges and hurdles in terms of engineering, financing, regulations and licensing — including 24 different permits from Queensland, along with environmental and airspace approvals — as well as finding a location for a launch pad.—
Andrew Jones,
Space.com,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Not that Lana needed any more hurdles to overcome.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The company owns restaurant chains such as Olive Garden Italian Restaurant, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, LongHorn Steakhouse and The Capital Grille.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
20 Oct. 2025
-
The recall affects bags of shrimp sold from June 12 to September 17, 2025, at multiple retail chains including Kroger, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, and more.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fetters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fetters. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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