as in to free
to set free (as from slavery or confinement)
authorities eventually unfettered the menagerie of wild animals that had been kept illegally as pets
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Recent Examples of unfetter
His long run in office, however, delivered only partial victories on his two primary ambitions: to unfetter Japan’s military after decades of postwar pacifism and to jump-start and overhaul its economy through a program known as Abenomics.
—
New York Times, 8 July 2022
As spring ends, maple trees begin to unfetter winged seeds that flutter and swirl from branches to land gently on the ground.
—Nikk Ogasa, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2021
By manufacturing satellite components in space, Made In Space hopes to unfetter some of those launch constraints.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 2 Aug. 2019
Unfettered by worries about his relationship, Caldwell thrived.
—Jason Blevins, The Denver Post, 18 May 2017
New York Times, 8 July 2022
As spring ends, maple trees begin to unfetter winged seeds that flutter and swirl from branches to land gently on the ground.
—Nikk Ogasa, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2021
By manufacturing satellite components in space, Made In Space hopes to unfetter some of those launch constraints.
—Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 2 Aug. 2019
Unfettered by worries about his relationship, Caldwell thrived.
—Jason Blevins, The Denver Post, 18 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfetter
Verb
-
There was no sign former leader Aung San Suu Kyi would be freed or if the pardon would include the thousands of political detainees imprisoned for opposing military rule.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
That said, a small portion of inventory was strategically reserved by both networks in anticipation of a hot scatter market; when freed up, those units are expected to be the most valuable buys on the summer sports calendar.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
All writers must forge their own language and liberate themselves in this way.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Igra and her mother were still living there when Russian and Cossack forces liberated them, as Igra said during her Eskaton talk.—
Graham Womack,
Sacbee.com,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
If Bluey uses a wand of asparagus to transform her father into a walrus, her father will behave exactly like a walrus until released from the spell.—
Jean Garnett,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2026
-
The Cook County medical examiner’s office confirmed just one of the deaths Friday evening, but did not release the identity.—
William Lee,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Cutesy anecdotes alternated with triumphs and tragedies—a school district rescued from a ransomware gang, an iPad salvaged from a plane crash.—
Julian Lucas,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Another skier was rescued Sunday after sustaining a knee injury in the Lindley Hut area, according to the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office.—
Lauren Penington,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
His hands of steel loosened my back with oils, and various stones like hot and salt.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
15 Apr. 2026
-
If necessary, use an offset spatula or butter knife to loosen the edges and then, using the overhang, transfer the brownies to a cutting board.—
Kelly Brant,
Arkansas Online,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
After mutual suspicion, the two arrived at a reluctant truce in which Paul was free to bring non-Jews into the Jesus movement, emancipating them from Jewish ritual, while the original Jerusalem circle continued to keep kosher, circumcise, and all the rest.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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His new psychological thriller follows a woman, played by Molly Windsor, who is attempting to emancipate herself from a religious cult.—
Madeleine Janz,
PEOPLE,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unfetter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfetter. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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