unfettered
Britishadjective
Explanation
The adjective unfettered describes something or someone uninhibited and unrestrained. If you write mysteries novels for a living you probably turn your unfettered imagination to murder and mayhem. Unfettered comes from the Old English root word fetor, which was a chain or shackle for the feet. Un- means "not," so originally the word literally meant "not chained or shackled." Today there isn't much real shackling going on, so the adjective unfettered mainly describes something that is free or unrestrained. You'll see such uses as unfettered emotions, unfettered stock market growth, and unfettered speech.
Vocabulary lists containing unfettered
"Letter from Birmingham Jail" by Martin Luther King, Jr. (1963)
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Unbroken
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "U"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Unfettered from the burdens of leadership, he voted against two of Mr. Trump’s highest-profile national-security nominees, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
"Unfettered and flexible access to the EU and UK makes this the only jurisdiction in the world from which business can sell into GB and the EU free of customs and regulatory barriers," it said.
From BBC • Sep. 13, 2023
Unfettered internet access is important for many amateur Olympic athletes who post photos and videos of their feats on Instagram and other social media sites.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 20, 2022
Unfettered by Old World tradition, free to explore alternative theologies and modes of worship, Jews in 19th-century America grafted new ways onto old and shaped the modern Judaism we recognize today.
From Washington Post • Oct. 4, 2018
Unfettered and uncompromising are they who pursue free inquiry throughout—measured and impassable may those become, who hold to a generous veracity.
From The Principles Of Secularism by Holyoake, George Jacob
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
