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.
Australia said Thursday it refused to allow big tech to have "unfettered" access to its kids as it formally introduced new legislation that would give users choice over what they see on their feeds.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Do NOT allow a third party unfettered access to your bank accounts or brokerage accounts.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
Protestors, a few dozen, turned up outside the nearest tube stop waving flags as ticket holders streamed towards Lincoln Financial Field - but the concert proceeded largely unfettered.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Their film features unfettered access to former Theranos Chief Executive Elizabeth Holmes in the weeks before she reported to federal prison to serve a sentence of 10 years and three months.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
I suspect she made up that rule for my benefit, so I could grow unfettered, without the weight of wet rags dragging me down.
From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
