FETTER Synonyms: 213 Similar and Opposite Words

fetter 1 of 2

noun

ˈfe-tər

as in restriction

something that limits one's freedom of action or choice a time-honored tradition is fine as long as it doesn't become a fetter that prevents us from trying something new

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Relevance

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as in obstacle

something that makes movement or progress difficult claims that government regulations are unnecessary fetters that keep him from achieving his business goals

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as in chain

something that physically prevents free movement considered a seat belt a pointless fetter—until one saved his life in an auto accident

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fetter

2 of 2

verb

as in to bind

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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as in to impede

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb fetter contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of fetter are clog, hamper, manacle, shackle, and trammel. While all these words mean "to hinder or impede in moving, progressing, or acting," fetter suggests a restraining so severe that freedom to move or progress is almost lost.

a nation fettered by an antiquated class system

When might clog be a better fit than fetter?

While in some cases nearly identical to fetter, clog usually implies a slowing by something extraneous or encumbering.

a court system clogged by frivolous suits

Where would hamper be a reasonable alternative to fetter?

The words hamper and fetter can be used in similar contexts, but hamper may imply the effect of any impeding or restraining influence.

hampered the investigation by refusing to cooperate

How does the word shackle relate to other synonyms for fetter?

Both shackle and manacle are stronger than fetter and suggest total loss of freedom.

a mind shackled by stubborn prejudice

a people manacled by tyranny

When can trammel be used instead of fetter?

The words trammel and fetter are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, trammel suggests entangling by or confining within a net.

rules that trammel the artist's creativity

Examples 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 fetter

Noun

But Trump famously wriggles free from such fetters and resists being hemmed in. —

Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2024 Rumors circulated before the killing of Khashoggi that King Salman was concerned enough to consider putting some fetters on his heir. —

Daniel Benjamin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Oct. 2018 The solution to this question can be reached not by deifying the nation, but on the contrary by completely liberating productive forces from the fetters imposed upon them by the national state. —

Foreign Affairs, 18 Dec. 2011 One man even contrived somehow to get across while still in iron fetters. —

Adam Goodheart, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Sep. 2023 Its stage is where King Kong broke his fetters in the 1933 movie. —

Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2023 And then there’s the New Deal, another famous attempt to slap fetters on the rough beast of capitalism. —

Jonah Goldberg, National Review, 22 Nov. 2019 This early recording is unique—brisk and pugnacious, a stormy, bitter Schubert raging against his earthly fetters and then distilling his passions, in the last movement, into headlong lunges, dazzling whirls, and delicate pirouettes. —

Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2020 Like the shrimp and grits, the fetter papa burger ($15) is appropriately decadent. —

Lindsey McClave, The Courier-Journal, 28 Aug. 2019

Verb

Our vote, secret and simple, not fettered by any AI or the eyes of an authoritarian who threatens those who disagree with him, ensures that our union endures. —

John D. Witiak, Baltimore Sun, 6 July 2024 Ruskin felt insulted and legally fettered by the verdict. —

Adrian Dannatt, New York Times, 6 Dec. 2023 Certain wandered between rows of mannequins fettered with leg irons, claustrophobic dungeon cells and a towering guillotine. —

Jeremy Redmon, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2023 After the beating, he was fettered in iron chains around his ankles, which would rub his skin raw. —

Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 12 Sep. 2023 Teddy Roosevelt broke up the trusts, regulated the food supply, created the National Park System, and fettered the railroads. —

Jonah Goldberg, National Review, 22 Nov. 2019 Botany was also often fettered to expertise in gardening, another activity that fell within the realm of the feminine. —

Amandas Ong, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2018 In many developing countries, girls face two starkly divergent paths: one fettered by gender inequality and cut short by early childbearing and the other offering personal fulfillment and economic improvement that benefit families and nations. —

Howard Lafranchi, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Apr. 2018 While your job is to enforce the consistency that stylebooks aim for, you must not be fettered by it. —

John E. McIntyre, baltimoresun.com, 25 Aug. 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fetter

Noun

Any movement on the issue appears unlikely as Republicans prepare to take control of the Senate in January, underscoring the hurdles in imposing restrictions on a separate branch of government even as public confidence in the court has fallen to record lows.

Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2024
The government has called on Mehta to impose restrictions for a decade.

Paresh Dave, WIRED, 21 Dec. 2024