unshackle

unshackle — 動詞

  • unshacklepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • unshackles3rd person singular
  • unshackling-ing form
  • unshackledpast simple

1. to remove physical restraints such as chains or handcuffs from someone; also use

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

鬆綁

解開枷鎖或限制，使恢復自由

to remove physical restraints such as chains or handcuffs from someone; also used figuratively to mean releasing a person, group, or institution from rules, limits, or conditions that prevent free action or development.

例句

The prison guards unshackled Tamar before she was led into the courtroom.

獄警在 Tamar 被帶進法庭前，鬆開了她身上的鐐銬。

literal meaning — physical chains or handcuffs

After the revolution, the country's press was unshackled from decades of government control.

革命之後，該國的新聞媒體終於從數十年的政府控制中獲得解放。

figurative passive: be unshackled from [restriction]

同義詞
  • free

    the most general word; covers any kind of release from confinement or burden

  • release

    emphasises the act of letting go; can be used for both literal and figurative contexts

  • liberate

    more formal and often implies freeing a group or place from political or social oppression

  • unfetter

    literary or formal; very close in meaning to unshackle, referring to freedom from restraints

反義詞
  • shackle

    the direct opposite — to put someone in chains or restrict their freedom

  • fetter

    to confine with chains or restrain someone's movement or freedom in a formal sense

文法句型

unshackle + noun phrase (someone/something)

用法筆記

More common in figurative contexts than literal ones. The object is often an abstract noun such as creativity, imagination, or the economy, or a person or group described as being held back. The passive construction (be unshackled from) is frequently used in news and political writing.

常見錯誤

❌Please unshackle your seatbelt before getting up.
✅Please unfasten your seatbelt before getting up.
💡unshackle describes serious physical or metaphorical restraints, not everyday fasteners like seatbelts.
❌She unshackled the gift box from the wrapping paper.
✅She unshackled the prisoner from the iron chains.
💡unshackle should only be used where the constraint is specifically like a shackle or a very tight limitation.