Make Your Point > Archived Issues > UNFETTER

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

"UNFETTER" Meaning: Fetters are chains for a slave's feet, and more broadly, fetters are things that restrain you. And to fetter people or things is to chain up their feet or to restrain them somehow. So, to unfetter people or things is to free them from their (literal or figurative) chains. Pronunciation: un FET er Part of speech: Transitive verb. (Like “eat,” “try,” and “want,” all transitive verbs do something to an object. You eat a banana, try a game, and want a new phone. Likewise, you unfetter something or someone.) Other forms: unfettered, unfettering How to use it: You use the word "unfetter" instead of "free" or "set free" when you want to emphasize that whatever was restraining someone or something reminds you of a heavy, burdensome chain tied around the feet. Generally you say that someone or something is unfettered from some difficult, burdensome, or otherwise bad thing: "He finally decided to unfetter himself from that responsibility." "Please unfetter your mind from that ridiculous belief." The adjective is especially useful: talk about unfettered movement, the unfettered flow of something, an unfettered ability or unfettered access to something, unfettered emotions, unfettered thoughts, unfettered speech and writing, etc. You can be more specific by adding "by _____," as in "goals unfettered by social expectations" or "productivity unfettered by a slow Internet connection." (In the phrases above, you could also say "from" instead of "by." "Unfettered from" means that something used to be fettered and is now released, while "unfettered by" just means that something isn't fettered and perhaps never was. Example: "Thoughts unfettered from worries" means the worries are gone now, while "thoughts unfettered by worries" means there aren't any worries and there may or may not have been any worries in the first place.) As you can tell, the tone of this word is usually very positive. But you can also talk about unfettered greed, unfettered waste, unfettered violations of privacy, and so on. Yes, we're entitled to the unfettered expression of our ideas--but that doesn't mean we're also free from the consequences of what is said. He loves to keep and store everything, but I prefer a home unfettered by clutter. Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "unfetter" means when you can explain it without saying "unchain" or "allow free movement." Think of a responsibility, belief, or desire that you used to have, and fill in the blank: "I've unfettered myself from _____." Example: "Since turning thirty, I've pretty well unfettered myself from the belief that I should care what people think about me." Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game and quote below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Playing With Words: This month, we're playing New Word Order! It's a card game that I recently created; it involves figuring out the order in which certain words and phrases entered our language. I'll give you several words and/or phrases, and you'll use your knowledge of history, slang, technology, popular culture, fashion, psychology, etc. to put them into chronological order. I'll post the right answer to each question on the following day. If you like this game, you can download and print it to play with your family and friends. (It's free.) When you play New Word Order on hard mode with a group of friends, you make one big timeline together, which can get pretty long—and that makes it challenging to place new terms on it! For about the final third of this month, we’re building one big timeline. (And we’ll finish out the month—the 28th through the 30th— with three unique and highly challenging questions.) Yesterday's task was to add "fauxhawk" to this timeline: Brainwashing, 1950 Parallel parking, 1962 Pimped-out, 1988 Answer: Brainwashing, 1950 Parallel parking, 1962 Pimped-out, 1988 Fauxhawk, 2000 Today, add this term to the timeline above: "inner child." Special preview of next month's game: In December, we'll be sampling questions from Orijinz, an awesome series of games about the origins of words, phrases, and quotes. Click here or on the logo below if you want to go ahead and check them out! A Point Well Made: Ralph Waldo Emerson: “The imitator dooms himself to hopeless mediocrity.” 1. One opposite of UNFETTER is A. HOBBLE B. HARP C. HARMONIZE 2. Their work desperately needs to be unfettered from _____. A. creativity B. the threat of what the critics may say C. the value of research that adds knowledge without immediate practical applications Answers are below. To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each day for free by Mrs. Liesl Johnson, M.Ed., a word lover, learning enthusiast, and private tutor of reading and writing in the verdant little town of Hilo, Hawaii. For writing tips, online learning, essay guidance, and more, please visit www.HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. B Exploring the archives: "Unfettered" is perfect for describing things that are set free from real or metaphorical chains. But what if you need to talk about something that's set free from a (real or metaphorical) heavy thing that had to be carried instead of worn? You might choose "un________ed" instead of "unfettered."