Unfettered Meaning
/ʌnˈfɛtəd/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbsimple past and past participle of unfetter
adjNot bound by chains or shackles.
Sentence Examples
This unfettered power goes against democracy.
In common usage, "economic freedom" often refers to unfettered economic exploitation.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The writer was given ____ freedom to express her ideas in the new magazine.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The developer enjoyed ____ access to the new research, which allowed her to make several major improvements today.
Word Origin & History
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"In a corner of the market among the pens for cattle, Barnaby knelt down, and pausing every now and then to pass his hand over his father’s face, or look up to him with a smile, knocked off his irons. When he had seen him spring, a free man, to his feet, and had given vent to the transport of delight which the sight awakened, he went to work upon his own, which soon fell rattling down upon the ground, and left his limbs unfettered."
— 1841, Charles Dickens, chapter 68, in Barnaby Rudge:
"I envy not the beast that takes
His license in the field of time,
Unfetter’d by the sense of crime,
To whom a conscience never wakes; […]"
— 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXVII”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 44:
"We declare the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland, and to the unfettered control of Irish destinies, to be sovereign and indefeasible."
— 1916, Thomas Clarke, Proclamation of the Irish Republic:
"This Act contained no provisions relating to the gauge of the line, and at this early date there was no legislation governing the gauge of railways generally, so that the Eastern Counties directors had an unfettered choice in the matter."
— 1956 February, B. D. J. Walsh, “"Broad Gauge" in East Anglia”, in Railway Magazine, page 95:
"Alexander says she has been accused of censorship "worse than a Syrian dictator" over her quest to have gang-related videos taken down. But her campaign shows the debate over a completely unfettered internet is not clear-cut."
— 2012 April 19, Josh Halliday, “Free speech haven or lawless cesspool – can the internet be civilised?”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 08 May 2025:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The writer was given ____ freedom to express her ideas in the new magazine.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The developer enjoyed ____ access to the new research, which allowed her to make several major improvements today.