Synonyms of trammel

trammel 1 of 2

noun

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students and parents who want to throw off the trammels of outdated school policies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

• obstacle
• obstruction
• hurdle
• interference
• barrier
• embarrassment
• let
• shackles
• impediment
• hindrance
• encumbrance
• chain
• inhibition
• burden
• block
• handicap
• deterrent
• fetter
• constraint
• stop
• stumbling block
• cramp
• clog
• crimp
• manacle
• brake
• load
• bar
• drag
• hitch
• balk
• holdback
• rub
• delay
• rein
• blockade
• curb
• catch
• hazard
• restraint
• brick wall
• danger
• disadvantage
• blockage
• stone wall
• snag
• arrest
• stoppage
• stall
• embargo
• reef
• difficulty
• hobble
• bit
• hardship
• peril
• holdup
• drawback
• cumber
• check
• adversity

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• incentive
• spur
• stimulus
• catalyst
• impetus
• advantage
• edge
• break
• goad
• stimulant
• benefit
• aid
• assistance
• help
• boost
• handmaiden

trammel

2 of 2

verb

ˈtra-məl 

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

• bind
• tie
• confine
• hamper
• shackle
• enchain
• fetter
• constrain
• handcuff
• chain
• lash
• pinion
• attach
• manacle
• gyve
• iron
• enfetter
• restrict
• fasten
• hinder
• secure
• bit
• impede
• link
• limit
• curb
• truss
• hobble
• hog-tie
• join
• tangle
• entangle

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• liberate
• free
• loose
• release
• rescue
• unfetter
• emancipate
• unbind
• undo
• unshackle
• untangle
• untie
• detach
• unfasten
• disengage

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

• impede
• hinder
• hamper
• obstruct
• embarrass
• handicap
• shackle
• inhibit
• interfere (with)
• fetter
• block
• stymie
• encumber
• restrain
• delay
• cramp
• clog
• hobble
• disrupt
• constrain
• tie up
• handcuff
• hold back
• manacle
• short-circuit
• hog-tie
• thwart
• tie
• bind
• brake
• rein
• frustrate
• curb
• tether
• stifle
• cramp one's style
• retard
• hold up
• confine
• give a hard time
• check
• retain
• choke
• chain
• balk
• barricade
• strangle
• leash
• bog (down)
• derail
• blockade
• arrest
• foil
• mire
• baffle
• stump
• sabotage
• muzzle
• smother
• suffocate
• hedge (in)
• halter
• hem (in)
• repress
• roadblock
• suppress

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• assist
• facilitate
• aid
• help
• open
• liberate
• free
• clear
• make way
• release
• loosen
• unclog
• unplug
• unstop
• promote
• encourage
• untie
• smooth
• further

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb trammel contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of trammel are clog, fetter, hamper, manacle, and shackle. While all these words mean "to hinder or impede in moving, progressing, or acting," trammel suggests entangling by or confining within a net.

rules that trammel the artist's creativity

In what contexts can clog take the place of trammel?

The meanings of clog and trammel largely overlap; however, clog usually implies a slowing by something extraneous or encumbering.

a court system clogged by frivolous suits

When is it sensible to use fetter instead of trammel?

Although the words fetter and trammel have much in common, fetter suggests a restraining so severe that freedom to move or progress is almost lost.

a nation fettered by an antiquated class system

When is hamper a more appropriate choice than trammel?

The words hamper and trammel are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, hamper may imply the effect of any impeding or restraining influence.

hampered the investigation by refusing to cooperate

How is shackle related to other words for trammel?

Both shackle and manacle are stronger than fetter and suggest total loss of freedom.

a mind shackled by stubborn prejudice

a people manacled by tyranny

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of trammel

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

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

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

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

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