as in obstacle
something that makes movement or progress difficult
students and parents who want to throw off the trammels of outdated school policies
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to bind
to confine or restrain with or as if with chains
years after his death, she was still trammeled by inconsolable grief for her deceased husband
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to impede
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
the new paperwork requirements will only trammel us and lower our productivity
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of trammel
Wesley Morris, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024
Step 2: Measure and Cut Cubby Dividers Use trammel points to mark a rounded edge (an arc with a 7-1/2-inch radius) on three 6-1/2 x 19-inch boards.
—Lucy Fitzgerald, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Feb. 2024
Use trammel points to mark a rounded edge (an arc with a 7-1/2-inch radius) on three 6-1/2 x 19-inch boards.
—Lucy Fitzgerald, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 July 2022
Join the top and drop leaf; then use a large trammel to mark the curved edge.
—Thomas Klenck, Popular Mechanics, 14 Aug. 2021
Make a trammel, or beam compass, that pivots on a 3⁄8-in.
—Neal Barrett, Popular Mechanics, 7 Aug. 2021
Build the trammel out of 1⁄2-in.-thick plywood, mount the router on one end and install a straight bit.
—Neal Barrett, Popular Mechanics, 7 Aug. 2021
Benjamin Kunkel, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
Diggs was trammeled by knee issues throughout 2023 as the 26-year-old was sidelined for 15 games after tearing his left ACL.
—Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024
The Founders gave an independent judiciary the responsibility of preventing the other branches from trammeling fundamental liberties of citizens.
—oregonlive, 23 Jan. 2020
The Patriots defense, which is on pace to break NFL records for most sacks and fewest points allowed, has trammeled and trampled opposing offenses, but the schedule keeps serving up red meat or raw quarterbacks for them to prey upon.
—BostonGlobe.com, 9 Oct. 2019
Now the area is brimming with new construction, and Ms. Medvedow, 63, is leading her institution into another less-trammeled area.
—New York Times, 22 June 2018
Those federal laws, along with state and local equivalents, provide broad and effective remedies for unequal pay without trammeling the hiring process.
—Gerald Skoning, WSJ, 12 Dec. 2017
When applied to armed protests, that mindset takes our country to a dangerous place: The Second Amendment and state open carry laws cannot trammel the free speech rights of unarmed protesters and the necessity for law enforcement to keep the peace.
—Olivia Li, Slate Magazine, 17 Oct. 2017
Noun
The moment comes right before America Ferrera’s big monologue about the trammels of womanhood, when Robbie soliloquizes, too, about the loss of her self-esteem.
—Wesley Morris, New York Times, 18 Feb. 2024
Step 2: Measure and Cut Cubby Dividers Use trammel points to mark a rounded edge (an arc with a 7-1/2-inch radius) on three 6-1/2 x 19-inch boards.
—Lucy Fitzgerald, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Feb. 2024
Use trammel points to mark a rounded edge (an arc with a 7-1/2-inch radius) on three 6-1/2 x 19-inch boards.
—Lucy Fitzgerald, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 July 2022
Join the top and drop leaf; then use a large trammel to mark the curved edge.
—Thomas Klenck, Popular Mechanics, 14 Aug. 2021
Make a trammel, or beam compass, that pivots on a 3⁄8-in.
—Neal Barrett, Popular Mechanics, 7 Aug. 2021
Build the trammel out of 1⁄2-in.-thick plywood, mount the router on one end and install a straight bit.
—Neal Barrett, Popular Mechanics, 7 Aug. 2021
Verb
Children arrive into a trammeling grid of haves and have-nots set up long before their birth, a net that individual struggles serve only to tighten.
—Benjamin Kunkel, Harpers Magazine, 28 Mar. 2025
Diggs was trammeled by knee issues throughout 2023 as the 26-year-old was sidelined for 15 games after tearing his left ACL.
—Stephan Pechdimaldji, Newsweek, 14 Dec. 2024
The Founders gave an independent judiciary the responsibility of preventing the other branches from trammeling fundamental liberties of citizens.
—oregonlive, 23 Jan. 2020
The Patriots defense, which is on pace to break NFL records for most sacks and fewest points allowed, has trammeled and trampled opposing offenses, but the schedule keeps serving up red meat or raw quarterbacks for them to prey upon.
—BostonGlobe.com, 9 Oct. 2019
Now the area is brimming with new construction, and Ms. Medvedow, 63, is leading her institution into another less-trammeled area.
—New York Times, 22 June 2018
Those federal laws, along with state and local equivalents, provide broad and effective remedies for unequal pay without trammeling the hiring process.
—Gerald Skoning, WSJ, 12 Dec. 2017
When applied to armed protests, that mindset takes our country to a dangerous place: The Second Amendment and state open carry laws cannot trammel the free speech rights of unarmed protesters and the necessity for law enforcement to keep the peace.
—Olivia Li, Slate Magazine, 17 Oct. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trammel
Noun
-
Existing Challenges While the impact of these types of fintechs is already significant, their work is not without its own set of obstacles, and several ongoing challenges remain.—
Murtaza Ali,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
-
Raise the stakes, place insuperable obstacles before the protagonist, have the protagonist somehow surmount them while becoming braver and better.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
Verb
-
Hoji added that people should get proper legal advice before signing contracts that bind them to some form of confidentiality.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
12 June 2025
-
The private key remains bound to the user device, where it can’t be extracted.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
12 June 2025
Verb
-
Protesters should remain on sidewalks where possible and avoid impeding traffic or emergency access, Honeycutt said.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
13 June 2025
-
Earlier that day, a large rally had been held in nearby Grant Park, in protest of the arrest of David Huerta, a Los Angeles labor leader who was being held in federal custody for conspiracy to impede an officer during an immigration raid on a Los Angeles business on Friday.—
Emily Witt,
New Yorker,
11 June 2025
Noun
-
Salivary Blockages Blockages or obstructions to the salivary glands may also cause mouth dryness because saliva doesn't flow as easily to the mouth.10 7.—
Lana Barhum,
Verywell Health,
6 June 2025
-
Pullman and Lynch were convicted by a federal jury of one count of racketeering conspiracy, one count of honest services wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, one count of obstruction of justice and one count of conspiracy to defraud the IRS.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
3 June 2025
Verb
-
But when just looking at last year's data, Montana and Nebraska tied for states with the biggest surge in insurance prices.—
Anna Skinner,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 June 2025
-
The switch-hitting Happ hit his first home run off a lefty this season in Monday’s extra-inning loss, tying the game in the eighth inning by taking Phillies reliever Matt Strahm deep.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2025
Verb
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Civilian layoffs would hinder critical administrative support to sworn personnel and harm essential services citywide, McDonnell stressed.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
12 June 2025
-
In some such as Utah and Nevada, the government controls the vast majority of lands, protecting them from potential exploitation but hindering growth.—
Matthew Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2025
Noun
-
Distribution: The Lingering Weak Link For all its strengths, Catalan animation still faces significant hurdles in distribution, especially at home.—
Jamie Lang,
Variety,
6 June 2025
-
Diagnosis Delays Hurt Women’s Outcomes Even before a clinical trial is an option, women face significant hurdles in getting a diagnosis.—
Geri Stengel,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Verb
-
Having expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic to serve those confined to their homes and working remotely, the industry has been shedding jobs month by month.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
5 June 2025
-
Also, should rebuilding Black communities be confined to those who have been involved with the criminal justice system?—
Willie Wilson,
Chicago Tribune,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trammel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trammel. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.
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