SHACKLED Synonyms: 135 Similar and Opposite Words

shackled 1 of 2

adjective

as in bolted

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shackled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of shackle

as in bound

to confine or restrain with or as if with chains unwilling to shackle the dogs to the wall of the house

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in hampered

to create difficulty for the work or activity of shackled by poverty and ignorance

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example 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 shackled

Verb

Before Thursday’s hearing began, Schaefer, dressed in an orange jail jumpsuit and shackled at the ankles, smiled broadly and blew a kiss to his mother, Kia Walker, seated in the courtroom gallery. — Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2026 Conditions vary in different countries Some of the deportees have recounted being shackled while some were held in full-body restraint straitjackets called the WRAP during flights that can sometimes last more than 16 hours. — Mark Banchereau, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026 The Valkyries played the first half like a team shackled by nerves. — Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 Mangione entered the courtroom Tuesday wearing a gray suit with his wrists shackled in front of him. — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026 Michelle Saniei, without being shackled to a man, has come into her own and managed to pop out from a crowded field. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 8 Aug. 2026 On Monday, the pair wore orange jail jumpsuits with their hands and feet shackled. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 3 Aug. 2026 D4vd was seated shackled and emotionless as the photos were shown. — Marlene Lenthang, NBC news, 25 July 2026 Burke, shackled to a chair, reportedly showed no visible reaction. — Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 21 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shackled

Adjective

Sondheimer has bloodied his hands climbing over a fence to exit a bolted stadium.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Unlike standard wheels, which rely solely on air pressure to push the tire against the rim, beadlocks use a bolted outer ring to physically sandwich the tire in place.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 2 June 2026

Definition of bolted

Verb

Efforts to prevent famine have been hampered by the January decision of the United States, once Somalia's largest donor, to freeze nearly all of the country's humanitarian aid.

— Durrie Bouscaren, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026
The Panthers’ third-round pick from two years ago had fought through two difficult seasons hampered by injury.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of hampered

Adjective

There is a punk poetry to that film, an unapologetic spirit that feels so tied to what Araki has done his whole career.

— Matt Minton, Variety, 30 July 2026
Unofficial results for two special elections held Tuesday show the Minnesota House will remain tied heading into the 2026 legislative session.

— Aki Nace, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026

Definition of tied

Verb

The Callis Family handcuffed Darby Allin by tape, but that didn’t stop him from running wild with a suicide dive on Jake Doyle.

— Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
The Los Angeles Police Department released a video that shows officers at the Valley jail manhandle an uncooperative inmate who died after he was left handcuffed with a bag over his head while laying prone on the bunk in his cell.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of handcuffed

Verb

Kupor, head of the government’s chief human resources agency since July 2025, has publicly argued even jobs conducive to remote work can be impeded by working from home.

— Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026
Kenya’s Red Cross said difficult terrain and a fire at the site of the crash impeded its search and recovery efforts.

— Alexandra Bacallao, NBC news, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of impeded

Adjective

Lorenzo’s raft just missed the anchored catamaran, but his father, cousin and aunt weren’t as lucky.

— Susan Young, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026
Eligibility for health coverage, disability support, housing, and related services should remain anchored to persistent need, not to HIV status alone.

— Jeff Berry, STAT, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of anchored

Verb

The agents chained together a series of vulnerabilities to reach the open web and eventually gained access to Hugging Face.

— Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
During the protest, participants wore wedding dresses, duct-taped their mouths and chained their wrists on the Capitol steps to call on lawmakers to pass the measure.

— Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of chained

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“Shackled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shackled. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of shackled

adjective

verb

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