unfettered 1 of 2

Definition of unfetterednext

unfettered

2 of 2

verb

past tense of unfetter

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of unfettered
Adjective
Rulemakers in Washington have also imposed hurdles that slowed formal approvals and make a return to unfettered sales unlikely. Bloomberg, Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2026 The ride-along, the suits allege, allowed the officer unfettered and unsupervised contact with the Explorer away from any accountability for many hours at a time, and often late into the evening. Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026 Both these settings made local people aware that these were not remote stories of an alien land, and allowed the music to speak unfettered and directly to the heart (though I was roundly condemned as well). Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 15 Mar. 2026 The government, for example, was alarmed that the mass-surveillance restriction—which prevented the use of Claude to process publicly available bulk data—might prevent the unfettered utilization of LinkedIn for recruitment purposes. Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unfettered
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfettered
Adjective
  • Powerful seismic waves instantly toppled almost every building in the port city of Yokohama, sent a wall of water crashing across the coast of the island of Honshu, and unleashed mudslides that inundated fishing villages and buried inhabitants alive.
    Joshua Hammer, The New York Review of Books, 19 Mar. 2026
  • Speaking to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Leo seemed keenly aware that the #MeToo movement had unleashed revelations around the world of abuses committed against adults in vulnerable situations within the church.
    ABC News, ABC News, 16 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • The state’s Supreme Court threw out the verdict and Cosby was freed from prison after serving nearly three years of a three- to 10-year sentence.
    Andrew Dalton, Chicago Tribune, 24 Mar. 2026
  • Moss, the only woman who had been freed under the Survivors’ Act, attended the hearings that summer.
    Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • His car was found on the Turkey Creek Bridge near Denver, where he had been abducted by an escaped murderer, Joseph Corbett, looking for a quick get-rich scheme.
    David Faris, TheWeek, 16 Feb. 2026
  • Frederick Douglass, an escaped slave, pleaded with President Lincoln to allow Blacks to be able to join the Union.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • In its most generous version, this framing presents him as a heroic figure who liberated architecture from disciplinary orthodoxy.
    Julian Rose, Artforum, 26 Mar. 2026
  • During the Iran-Iraq war, Iran liberated its territory by 1982 but didn’t agree to a ceasefire until 1988, after hundreds of thousands of additional casualties and an international hostage crisis.
    Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • The cap just seems unchained now.
    Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
  • However, on multiple visits to the neighborhood, the two dogs were unchained in the yard during different times of the day and night, the Herald observed.
    Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Estimates broken down by city are expected to be released in May.
    Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Details on what led to the crash or the extent of Schwabe’s injuries have not been released.
    Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 30 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Firefighters rescued a dog from a 12-foot deep sinkhole in Falmouth, Massachusetts.
    Juli McDonald, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Officials said 57 soldiers were rescued alive from the crash site in the remote municipality of Puerto Leguizamo and were being treated for their injuries in the capital Bogota and elsewhere.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
  • Police believe Lopez ran a stop sign and collided with another vehicle, and that her unrestrained 6‑month‑old son - later identified as Sebastian Reyes - was ejected.
    Doug Myers, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
  • Hopkins returned to the part twice — gleefully unrestrained in Hannibal (2001) and altogether too restrained in Red Dragon (2002).
    Devan Coggan, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Unfettered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfettered. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.

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