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
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Of the survivors, Superman works with Raven to find Constantine and help locate Robin, who’s on a quest to free Batman from slavery.—
Will Harris,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Sep. 2025
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His fellow firefighters, including Gallagher —who was injured during the rescue — used extra manpower and tools to free him before he was stabilized at the scene and flown by CareFlite to the hospital, the department said.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Others – like Boris – are liberated by it.—
David Lyman,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
4 Sep. 2025
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Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Ozon diverges from the text in a few key places to offer a postcolonial reading of a novel that was published two decades before Algeria liberated itself from French rule.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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On Tuesday, 85 scientists released a 459-page rebuttal to the DOE report, highlighting a large body of scientific literature pointing to how climate change can exacerbate droughts, floods, crop failures, and other disasters.—
Robert Schmad,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Sep. 2025
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The panel studying those cases released a report last year describing how the state child welfare agency missed warning signs and failed to protect dozens of children from dying of the illicit drug.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Florida Aquarium has 100 adult corals that were rescued from disease and then rescued from the 2023 marine heat wave.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
3 Sep. 2025
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At the time of Sunday’s disaster, the Taliban government was using helicopters to rescue those affected by the quake, as the mountainous terrain and landslides triggered by the natural disaster made providing aid challenging.—
David Chiu,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Burns went on to loosen monetary policy and help the president secure re-election in ’72.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
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The texture on the towel will help loosen and remove water spots.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Some of the cattle roaming the marsh are rumored to be the feral descendants of herds emancipated two decades ago by Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall about five miles upriver.—
Nathaniel Rich,
Harpers Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
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The federal government's few attempts to transition the recently emancipated into the postwar economy were inadequate, historians believe.—
Andrea Riquier,
USA Today,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unfetter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfetter. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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