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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Bode and Jake — whose patience with Danny's resistance to being helped is wearing mighty thin — manage to free Danny and relocate to the roof.—
Britt Hayes,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 May 2026
-
Mother’s explosion distracts Blaine and frees Sam.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
Aronofsky acknowledged fears over the impact of AI on creative industry jobs and human creativity, but suggested that ultimately the technology would liberate artists across all mediums.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
16 May 2026
-
Nouvelle cuisine in France had begun to liberate chefs from the tightly wound traditions of French cooking.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Shirilla's case is profiled in the Netflix documentary The Crash released this month.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 May 2026
-
In other immigration news, a federal grand jury indicted a young man for allegedly ramming federal agents last October, a CPS mom is asking the government to release her son from detention, and Ald.—
Claire Malon,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
Verb
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The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response said in a statement Sunday evening that 25 birds had been rescued.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2026
-
At least 24 construction workers either escaped the building from the ground floor or were rescued in the aftermath of the collapse.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
24 May 2026
Verb
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In another gun rights case, the justices may loosen a federal law aimed at keeping firearms out of the hands of dangerous or irresponsible people.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
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Organizations set the outer policies; individual employees can tighten but never loosen them.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
When Winter was 14 years old, she was placed in the care of her older sister and three years later, she was legally emancipated.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
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Once the Southern Crescent pulled into the station, all trains bound north were emancipated from Jim Crow laws.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unfetter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfetter. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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