as in freed
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in unleashed
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unfettered
Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 24 June 2025
Morrissey has been the only person with unfettered access to Williams under her guardianship.
—Carson Blackwelder, People.com, 20 June 2025
For one, Pakistan’s biggest champion of unfettered civilian rule is expected to remain in jail for the foreseeable future.
—Hasan Ali, Christian Science Monitor, 19 June 2025
Their exposure to media is unprecedented, with seemingly unfettered access to smartphones, video games, film, television, social media, streaming video and virtual reality.
—Aviva Dove-Viebahn, Scientific American, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for unfettered
Verb
The British had relied on nearly unfettered access to the Iranian oil industry via the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, later to become BP.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 24 June 2025
Morrissey has been the only person with unfettered access to Williams under her guardianship.
—Carson Blackwelder, People.com, 20 June 2025
For one, Pakistan’s biggest champion of unfettered civilian rule is expected to remain in jail for the foreseeable future.
—Hasan Ali, Christian Science Monitor, 19 June 2025
Their exposure to media is unprecedented, with seemingly unfettered access to smartphones, video games, film, television, social media, streaming video and virtual reality.
—Aviva Dove-Viebahn, Scientific American, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for unfettered
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfettered
Verb
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But she’s also been freed in a way.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2025
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The Kremlin on Thursday freed Ksenia Karelina, a Russian-American ballerina sentenced to 12 years in prison for donating to a Ukrainian charity, in exchange for a man accused of funneling military-grade electronics from the United States to Russia’s armed forces.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Adidas made $437 million from the first batch of its Yeezy shoes released after severing ties with West, some of which benefited organizations including the Anti-Defamation League and a non-profit founded by George Floyd’s brother.—
Conor Murray,
Forbes,
8 Jan. 2025
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He was released from prison in October 2019.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
8 Jan. 2025
Verb
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In November 2022, a 28-year-old man who fell overboard from a Carnival Valor cruise ship was rescued off of Louisiana's southeast coast after treading water for nearly 20 hours.—
Rebecca Rosman,
NPR,
27 Dec. 2024
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Four family members were later rescued as authorities continued recovery efforts.—
Dale Denwalt,
USA TODAY,
26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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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
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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
Adjective
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Unfettered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfettered. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.
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