as in loose
not bound, confined, or detained by force
residents of the camp for drug rehabilitation are completely unconfined—no one is there unless they want to be
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Recent Examples of unconfined
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
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
But even with this extensive network, there still is a need for improvements to address data gaps and enhance the representation of different aquifers, both in confined and unconfined conditions.
—Claire Marks, Austin American-Statesman, 27 Aug. 2024
Destroying a pier is likely beyond the capability of an unconfined sea drone explosion.
—Ben Hodges, Led Klosky, Robert Person, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2023
But the physics of an unconfined air blast that disperses its energy in all directions meant that only a small percentage of the blast’s force was focused directly on the bridge’s underside.
—Ben Hodges, Led Klosky, Robert Person, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2023
Let joy be unconfined!
—Vulture, 2 Nov. 2022
An average of about 2,400 calls are received by Anchorage Animal Care and Control each year about off-leash or unconfined animals, mostly dogs, said Tamiah Liebersbach, the administration manager for the municipal health department, which works alongside the Animal Control Advisory Board.
—Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Feb. 2021
Principles of biological terrestrial locomotion have been discovered on unconfined vertical and horizontal substrates.
—Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 31 May 2013
George Liebmann, Baltimore Sun, 1 June 2025
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
But even with this extensive network, there still is a need for improvements to address data gaps and enhance the representation of different aquifers, both in confined and unconfined conditions.
—Claire Marks, Austin American-Statesman, 27 Aug. 2024
Destroying a pier is likely beyond the capability of an unconfined sea drone explosion.
—Ben Hodges, Led Klosky, Robert Person, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2023
But the physics of an unconfined air blast that disperses its energy in all directions meant that only a small percentage of the blast’s force was focused directly on the bridge’s underside.
—Ben Hodges, Led Klosky, Robert Person, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2023
Let joy be unconfined!
—Vulture, 2 Nov. 2022
An average of about 2,400 calls are received by Anchorage Animal Care and Control each year about off-leash or unconfined animals, mostly dogs, said Tamiah Liebersbach, the administration manager for the municipal health department, which works alongside the Animal Control Advisory Board.
—Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Feb. 2021
Principles of biological terrestrial locomotion have been discovered on unconfined vertical and horizontal substrates.
—Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 31 May 2013
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unconfined
Adjective
-
Frank Lloyd Wright said that, and some of those loose objects were his own.—
Spencer Elliott,
Forbes.com,
30 July 2025
-
The rubber outsole performed well on a variety of outdoor surfaces, including loose rocks, dirt, and grass.—
Kevin Brouillard,
Travel + Leisure,
30 July 2025
Adjective
-
Start a free trial now to start watching some of the best soccer players in the world hit the pitch.—
Kilty Cleary,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 July 2025
-
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
26 July 2025
Adjective
-
Yet even as clients face existential troubles, the legal industry has remained strong, unbound by bull or bear markets.—
Liane Jackson,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
-
Back in 1835, another outsider, Alexis de Tocqueville, famously described Americans as uniquely unbound by tradition or group norms.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
17 May 2025
Adjective
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In certain contexts, that unrestrained flattery might lead to psychological distress: In recent months, there have been growing reports of individuals experiencing AI psychosis, in which extensive conversations with chatbots may have amplified delusions.—
Lila Shroff,
The Atlantic,
24 July 2025
-
The manner of death was listed as accident (unrestrained passenger in car crash), the warrant affidavit said.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
18 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unconfined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unconfined. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
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