as in obstacle
something that makes movement or progress difficult
the shackles of illiteracy can be just as confining as leg irons
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in binds
to confine or restrain with or as if with chains
unwilling to shackle the dogs to the wall of the house
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hampers
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
shackled by poverty and ignorance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shackles
Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2025
For independents, knowledge and integrity are keys that unlock the shackles of party dogma.
—John H Bolthouse, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2025
Agents arrested some 475 people—including more than 300 South Korean contractors—and led them away in shackles and handcuffs.
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 Oct. 2025
Tender Buttons is a celebration of mutability, a rejoinder to rules, where words are set free from the shackles of meaning and grammatical function, made unfamiliar, and charged with power to make the world afresh.
—Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
But Eze joined Arsenal shortly before the transfer window closed this summer, and Wilfried Zaha is no longer at the club, so there are fewer shackles for him.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Routh returned to the courtroom in shackles with no signs of blood on his shirt, the AP reported.
—Janelle Griffith, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2025
Following the incident, Ryan Routh was brought back before the judge in shackles.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 23 Sep. 2025
Hernandez Santana appears in court On Monday afternoon, Hernandez Santana in Sacramento federal court wearing an orange jail uniform, along with shackles around his waist and his ankles.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Noun
On Friday, exactly one month after Kirk was assassinated, Robinson requested permission to wear civilian clothes in court and to appear without shackles and cuffs.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2025
For independents, knowledge and integrity are keys that unlock the shackles of party dogma.
—John H Bolthouse, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2025
Agents arrested some 475 people—including more than 300 South Korean contractors—and led them away in shackles and handcuffs.
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 Oct. 2025
Tender Buttons is a celebration of mutability, a rejoinder to rules, where words are set free from the shackles of meaning and grammatical function, made unfamiliar, and charged with power to make the world afresh.
—Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
But Eze joined Arsenal shortly before the transfer window closed this summer, and Wilfried Zaha is no longer at the club, so there are fewer shackles for him.
—Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Routh returned to the courtroom in shackles with no signs of blood on his shirt, the AP reported.
—Janelle Griffith, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2025
Following the incident, Ryan Routh was brought back before the judge in shackles.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 23 Sep. 2025
Hernandez Santana appears in court On Monday afternoon, Hernandez Santana in Sacramento federal court wearing an orange jail uniform, along with shackles around his waist and his ankles.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shackles
Noun
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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
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But even with these obstacles, oddsmakers seem to believe the Bucs have plot armor.—
J.J. Bailey,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
On the smallest scales, the strong nuclear force binds quarks into bound structures, three-at-a-time, known as baryons.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
16 Oct. 2025
-
The drug binds to a particular protein on immune system cells called T cells and reduces their ability to attack the body’s beta cells.—
Tara Haelle,
Scientific American,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Maintain a safe distance from large vehicles - Trucks or buses can produce a water spray that hampers visibility.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Maintain a safe distance from large vehicles - Trucks or buses can produce a water spray that hampers visibility.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The new method could allow the scientific community to overcome one of the key hurdles associated with fusion energy – maintaining plasma stability.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Oct. 2025
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Staffing costs and availability are chief among the reasons, the organization adds, both because skilled individuals can’t be sourced in rural areas and because the traditional long hours and on-call schedules poses further hurdles for recruitment.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Texas Roadhouse, which also operates casual dining chains Bubba’s 33 and Jaggers, is expected to report third-quarter results at the end of October.—
Natasha Abellard,
CNBC,
3 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
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According to Delaware County court records, LaSota was charged with disorderly conduct and obstruction.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Oct. 2025
-
The footage does not show that, and Garcia Venegas was never charged with obstruction or any other crime.—
Nicole Foy,
ProPublica,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The rapid proliferation and growth of spot ETFs like those for bitcoin and ether – as well as the potential for dozens more once regulatory operations resume at full capacity – also ties into another important change.—
Sean Stein Smith,
Forbes.com,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Nothing ties together a travel outfit quite like a crisp pair of leather sneakers.—
Emily Belfiore,
Travel + Leisure,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shackles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shackles. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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