as in loose
not bound, confined, or detained by force
residents of the camp for drug rehabilitation are completely unconfined—no one is there unless they want to be
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Recent Examples of unconfined
Another unconfined delegation that should be subject to judicial scrutiny is provided by the Civil Rights Restoration Act, passed by the Democrats over President Ronald Reagan’s veto, which established the government’s power to arbitrarily withhold funding from universities.
—
George Liebmann, Baltimore Sun, 1 June 2025
This accounted for just 3 percent of heating fires overall, but these led to more than 40 percent of fatalities, in part because portable heaters tend to be placed precisely where people live and sleep, and because the resulting fires are far more likely to be unconfined.
—Matthew Korfhage, WIRED, 24 Mar. 2025
But even with this extensive network, there still is a need for improvements to address data gaps and enhance the representation of different aquifers, both in confined and unconfined conditions.
—Claire Marks, Austin American-Statesman, 27 Aug. 2024
Destroying a pier is likely beyond the capability of an unconfined sea drone explosion.
—Ben Hodges, Led Klosky, Robert Person, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2023
But the physics of an unconfined air blast that disperses its energy in all directions meant that only a small percentage of the blast’s force was focused directly on the bridge’s underside.
—Ben Hodges, Led Klosky, Robert Person, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2023
Let joy be unconfined!
—Vulture, 2 Nov. 2022
An average of about 2,400 calls are received by Anchorage Animal Care and Control each year about off-leash or unconfined animals, mostly dogs, said Tamiah Liebersbach, the administration manager for the municipal health department, which works alongside the Animal Control Advisory Board.
—Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Feb. 2021
Principles of biological terrestrial locomotion have been discovered on unconfined vertical and horizontal substrates.
—Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 31 May 2013
George Liebmann, Baltimore Sun, 1 June 2025
This accounted for just 3 percent of heating fires overall, but these led to more than 40 percent of fatalities, in part because portable heaters tend to be placed precisely where people live and sleep, and because the resulting fires are far more likely to be unconfined.
—Matthew Korfhage, WIRED, 24 Mar. 2025
But even with this extensive network, there still is a need for improvements to address data gaps and enhance the representation of different aquifers, both in confined and unconfined conditions.
—Claire Marks, Austin American-Statesman, 27 Aug. 2024
Destroying a pier is likely beyond the capability of an unconfined sea drone explosion.
—Ben Hodges, Led Klosky, Robert Person, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2023
But the physics of an unconfined air blast that disperses its energy in all directions meant that only a small percentage of the blast’s force was focused directly on the bridge’s underside.
—Ben Hodges, Led Klosky, Robert Person, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2023
Let joy be unconfined!
—Vulture, 2 Nov. 2022
An average of about 2,400 calls are received by Anchorage Animal Care and Control each year about off-leash or unconfined animals, mostly dogs, said Tamiah Liebersbach, the administration manager for the municipal health department, which works alongside the Animal Control Advisory Board.
—Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Feb. 2021
Principles of biological terrestrial locomotion have been discovered on unconfined vertical and horizontal substrates.
—Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 31 May 2013
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unconfined
Adjective
-
The left-hander began the ninth with a groundout, but after Ketel Marte homered and Geraldo Perdomo drew a nine-pitch walk, Spencer Bivens and Erik Miller began to get loose.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
4 July 2025
-
Make sure to set your face with a pressed or loose setting powder, and then continue with the rest of your eye makeup.—
Catharine Malzahn,
Glamour,
3 July 2025
Adjective
-
Mitchell, 29, heard of the Summer Saturdays market through word of mouth, a free venue.—
Allana Smith,
Freep.com,
13 July 2025
-
The first 500 customers at the July 19 grand opening will gain a digital offer in the Tim Hortons app that can be activated once a day for a month and is good for one free small coffee, hot or iced with flavors and modifiers included, according to the company.—
Andy Humbles,
The Tennessean,
13 July 2025
Adjective
-
The protagonist of this beguiling novel, Lina, lives with her father in a realm seemingly unbound by ordinary time.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
-
Today, China’s giant mining and refining companies operate without much pressure to remain commercially viable, unbound by many constraints on firms funded by private investors and lenders.—
Heidi Crebo-Rediker,
Foreign Affairs,
7 May 2025
Adjective
-
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) says that, when unrestrained, small pets can crawl into the footwell and interfere with the pedals, or large animals could interfere with the driver's view.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 June 2025
-
The driver of the RAV4, who was unrestrained, was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the press release.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unconfined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unconfined. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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