FETTERED Synonyms: 141 Similar and Opposite Words

fettered 1 of 2

adjective

as in bound

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fettered

2 of 2

verb

past tense of fetter

as in tied

to confine or restrain with or as if with chains museum artifacts that serve as somber reminders of the days when slaves were fettered with irons

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in hampered

to create difficulty for the work or activity of the belief that too many rules and restrictions fetter children's creativity

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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 fettered

Verb

Perhaps capitalism can be appropriately fettered within the confines of a select few cities, inspiring a nonviolent, nationwide socialist revolution. — Idrees Kahloon, The Atlantic, 6 July 2026 While some players were able to weather that storm – defenseman Joel Edmundson played all 82 games for the first time in a career often fettered by injuries – others paid a price. — Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fettered

Adjective

The team checked this directly by computing how much of each galaxy's baryon budget actually stayed bound to the system.

— Paul Sutter, Space.com, 9 June 2026
To help calculate a lower bound, Erdős assumed that the points would be laid out in a grid.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 1 June 2026

Definition of bound

Verb

In southwest Washington, polling has indicated the congressional race may be essentially tied.

— Justine McDaniel, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Polls showed Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and rightist challenger Flávio Bolsonaro were in effect tied ahead of Sunday’s runoff, with the result potentially coming down to which candidate’s supporters stay away from the ballot box.

— Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of tied

Verb

Creating lightweight device Neuroscientists studying behavioral brain activity have long been hampered by tethered equipment that kept laboratory animals locked in place.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
That uncertainty leaves the Chargers trying to get anything out of an offense hampered by the limitations of what's available to them right now in what increasingly looks like a lost season.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of hampered

Adjective

Federal agencies have overlapping jurisdiction over captive marine mammals –– for sea lions, the USDA oversees their welfare and NOAA decides who can keep them for public display.

— Valerie Greene, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
During captive-carry testing, engineers can assess equipment carried by an aircraft before proceeding to more demanding flight demonstrations.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of captive

Verb

In his ruling, Judge Joseph Montano found that prosecutors had impeded grand jurors who wanted to hear from defense witnesses.

— Gene Maddaus, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
The ongoing conflict that has driven people from their homes in Iran as well as an internet shutdown and a lack of full cooperation from the two governments partially impeded the team's efforts to get information.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of impeded

Adjective

Her path crosses with that of Inocência, an enslaved Black woman who possesses healing knowledge, knows the land, and devises her own strategies of resistance.

— Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
Ten Southern state legislatures endorsed the idea by passing laws that allowed the freeing of an enslaved person only when deportation out of the state was arranged and paid for.

— Karen Masterson, The Conversation, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of enslaved

Adjective

Oddly enough, her two Best Actress plays are both black-and-white, European period pieces, but while Rose is full of gender-bending swagger, Fatherland is a more subdued performance.

— Nate Jones, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
Making waves across industries like fashion, beauty, and even interior design, the sensual shade feels more subdued and high-end than alternative reds while being easy to style in the cold-weather months.

— Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of subdued

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“Fettered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fettered. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of fettered

adjective

verb

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