fettered
fettered — verb
- fetteredpresent simple I / you / we / they
- fettereds3rd person singular
- fettereding-ing form
- fetterededpast simple
1. to place serious limits on what a person, group, or activity can do, so that pro
to place serious limits on what a person, group, or activity can do, so that progress, freedom, or growth is held back.
Strict new regulations have fettered small bakeries across Kyoto, slowing their growth.
passive-ish active: have fettered + [businesses]
Gabriel felt fettered by family expectations whenever he tried to change careers.
be fettered by + [abstract noun]
Heavy debt fettered the young farmers in Oaxaca for nearly a decade.
The reporter argued that vague laws fetter free speech more than open censorship.
Amelia refused to let old fears fetter her plans for the new gallery.
文法句型
fetter + noun
be fettered by + noun
用法筆記
Subject is usually an abstract force (rules, laws, debt, fear); object is a person, group, or activity. Most often passive ('be fettered by'). Distinguish from sense 2, which is the literal chain meaning.
常見錯誤
2. to fasten chains or metal rings around a prisoner's ankles so that the person ca
to fasten chains or metal rings around a prisoner's ankles so that the person cannot walk away from a place.
The medieval guards fettered the prisoners to a stone wall inside the dungeon.
fetter + [person] + to + [place]
Captured sailors were fettered below deck during the long voyage to Lisbon.
passive: be fettered + [location adverbial]
Charlotte read how enslaved workers had been fettered each night in the mine.
Caleb described a museum painting in which a Roman captive was fettered at the ankles.
文法句型
fetter + [person]
fetter [person] to + [place]
用法筆記
Object is a person under detention; the chains are around the ankles, not the wrists. Almost always in historical, literary, or museum-description contexts; use 'handcuff' or 'chain up' for modern scenes.
常見錯誤
fettered — noun
1. a heavy metal ring or chain placed around a prisoner's ankles, used to stop the
a heavy metal ring or chain placed around a prisoner's ankles, used to stop the prisoner from walking away.
Iron fetters from the 1700s are still on display in the Bristol harbour museum.
plural: iron fetters
Hana sketched a captive whose fetters had rubbed his ankles raw.
fetters had rubbed + [body part]
The escaped servant filed off his fetters with a kitchen knife near the river.
Roman soldiers placed heavy fetters around the captured general's ankles.
文法句型
fetters around + [body part]
in fetters
用法筆記
Almost always plural ('fetters'); a single chain on a single ankle is rare. Mostly historical, literary, or museum descriptions; modern equivalents are 'handcuffs', 'leg irons', or 'shackles'.
常見錯誤
2. something — usually a rule, custom, fear, or duty — that holds a person or group
something — usually a rule, custom, fear, or duty — that holds a person or group back from acting freely or growing.
Many young writers in Seoul long to break free from the fetters of tradition.
break free from the fetters of + [abstract]
The new mayor promised to remove the fetters of red tape on small businesses.
remove the fetters of + [abstract]
Élise spoke about the fetters of fear that had kept her silent for years.
Strict family rules became the fetters that held Niran back from studying abroad.
- constraints
everyday formal; same meaning, neutral tone
- shackles
stronger metaphor; suggests violent restriction
- freedom
the state once the fetters are removed
文法句型
the fetters of + [abstract noun]
break free from the fetters of
用法筆記
Almost always plural, and almost always with 'the fetters of + [abstract noun]' or as the object of 'break', 'remove', or 'throw off'. Distinguish from sense 1 (literal chain): if you can replace it with 'limits' or 'restrictions', this is sense 2.