as in obstacle
something that makes movement or progress difficult
students and parents who want to throw off the trammels of outdated school policies
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to bind
to confine or restrain with or as if with chains
years after his death, she was still trammeled by inconsolable grief for her deceased husband
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to impede
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
the new paperwork requirements will only trammel us and lower our productivity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of trammel
Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
The moment comes right before America Ferrera’s big monologue about the trammels of womanhood, when Robbie soliloquizes, too, about the loss of her self-esteem.
—Wesley Morris, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024
Step 2: Measure and Cut Cubby Dividers Use trammel points to mark a rounded edge (an arc with a 7-1/2-inch radius) on three 6-1/2 x 19-inch boards.
—Lucy Fitzgerald, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Feb. 2024
Join the top and drop leaf; then use a large trammel to mark the curved edge.
—Thomas Klenck, Popular Mechanics, 14 Aug. 2021
Literary Hub, 26 Nov. 2025
Children arrive into a trammeling grid of haves and have-nots set up long before their birth, a net that individual struggles serve only to tighten.
—Benjamin Kunkel, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
Diggs was trammeled by knee issues throughout 2023 as the 26-year-old was sidelined for 15 games after tearing his left ACL.
—Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024
The Founders gave an independent judiciary the responsibility of preventing the other branches from trammeling fundamental liberties of citizens.
—oregonlive, 23 Jan. 2020
The Patriots defense, which is on pace to break NFL records for most sacks and fewest points allowed, has trammeled and trampled opposing offenses, but the schedule keeps serving up red meat or raw quarterbacks for them to prey upon.
—BostonGlobe.com, 9 Oct. 2019
Now the area is brimming with new construction, and Ms. Medvedow, 63, is leading her institution into another less-trammeled area.
—New York Times, 22 June 2018
Those federal laws, along with state and local equivalents, provide broad and effective remedies for unequal pay without trammeling the hiring process.
—Gerald Skoning, WSJ, 12 Dec. 2017
When applied to armed protests, that mindset takes our country to a dangerous place: The Second Amendment and state open carry laws cannot trammel the free speech rights of unarmed protesters and the necessity for law enforcement to keep the peace.
—Olivia Li, Slate Magazine, 17 Oct. 2017
Noun
In the middle of the Mediterranean, off the coast of the island nation of Malta, a professional fisherman dropped his trammel net into the water.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
The moment comes right before America Ferrera’s big monologue about the trammels of womanhood, when Robbie soliloquizes, too, about the loss of her self-esteem.
—Wesley Morris, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024
Step 2: Measure and Cut Cubby Dividers Use trammel points to mark a rounded edge (an arc with a 7-1/2-inch radius) on three 6-1/2 x 19-inch boards.
—Lucy Fitzgerald, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Feb. 2024
Join the top and drop leaf; then use a large trammel to mark the curved edge.
—Thomas Klenck, Popular Mechanics, 14 Aug. 2021
Verb
The Constitution and the law are only more to be revered because they are being trammeled.
—Literary Hub, 26 Nov. 2025
Children arrive into a trammeling grid of haves and have-nots set up long before their birth, a net that individual struggles serve only to tighten.
—Benjamin Kunkel, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
Diggs was trammeled by knee issues throughout 2023 as the 26-year-old was sidelined for 15 games after tearing his left ACL.
—Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024
The Founders gave an independent judiciary the responsibility of preventing the other branches from trammeling fundamental liberties of citizens.
—oregonlive, 23 Jan. 2020
The Patriots defense, which is on pace to break NFL records for most sacks and fewest points allowed, has trammeled and trampled opposing offenses, but the schedule keeps serving up red meat or raw quarterbacks for them to prey upon.
—BostonGlobe.com, 9 Oct. 2019
Now the area is brimming with new construction, and Ms. Medvedow, 63, is leading her institution into another less-trammeled area.
—New York Times, 22 June 2018
Those federal laws, along with state and local equivalents, provide broad and effective remedies for unequal pay without trammeling the hiring process.
—Gerald Skoning, WSJ, 12 Dec. 2017
When applied to armed protests, that mindset takes our country to a dangerous place: The Second Amendment and state open carry laws cannot trammel the free speech rights of unarmed protesters and the necessity for law enforcement to keep the peace.
—Olivia Li, Slate Magazine, 17 Oct. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trammel
Noun
-
Flying the morning of an important presentation may not raise any obvious red flags, but that tight scheduling leaves no margin for unexpected obstacles, like weather events or mechanical issues.—
Abby Price,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The obstacles are mutable and insidious.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Simply mix 250g of low-fat quark (which contains around 20g of protein) with 40g of ground oats, half a banana as a natural binding agent and a dash of milk.—
Desireé Oostland,
Vogue,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Together, Sarah Wondra and the roommates bound Michael with duct tape and shoved him into the duffel bag, Wondra recounted to the detectives.—
Alex Brizee
March 3,
Idaho Statesman,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The incident resulted in a ticket for impeding traffic, for which she was ordered to pay $197 after pleading no contest in Orange County court on Monday.—
Cristóbal Reyes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Since the proposal became public last month, parents and students have argued closures would impede students’ academic and social well-being, lead to longer school commutes and exacerbate the struggle to find child care.—
Molly Gibbs,
Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
His charges were reduced to misdemeanor obstruction of government administration and harassment, the outlet said.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Valmir Krasniqi, 35, the manager at Positano, a Bay Ridge restaurant prosecutors say has ties to organized crime figures, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in Brooklyn Federal Court Wednesday, and could face up to six years behind bars based on sentencing guidelines.—
John Annese,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
João Klauss scored for the fourth time in his first three matches with the Galaxy to tie it 1-1 in the 56th minute.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The family also claims the university had prior knowledge of safety concerns tied to large events but failed to address them.—
Frederick Sutton Sinclair,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
California law restricts when local enforcement can coordinate with ICE in making such arrests, and federal officials and Republicans have assailed the policy for hindering immigration enforcement.—
Ethan Varian,
Mercury News,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Many Gulf desalination plants are physically integrated with power stations as co‑generation facilities, meaning attacks on electrical infrastructure could also hinder water production.—
Annika Hammerschlag,
Fortune,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Years of inflation, high mortgage rates and skyrocketing home prices have made buying a home a major hurdle for many Americans.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Barrios said the money for vehicle maintenance could help pay to replace the city’s Chollas Operation Yard, which can’t be rebuilt or expanded because of environmental hurdles.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
While there’s plenty of nostalgia to satisfy old souls like myself, this isn’t a route where the glory days are confined to the rearview mirror.—
Zoey Goto,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Kaine stressed that Democrats want to fund the other agencies at DHS, while confining the ongoing negotiations to the immigration enforcement agencies.—
Kaia Hubbard,
CBS News,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Trammel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trammel. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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