MANACLE Synonyms: 197 Similar and Opposite Words

manacle 1 of 2

noun

ˈma-ni-kəl

as in chain

usually manacles plural something that physically prevents free movement manacles prevented the bear from roaming beyond a very small area

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in obstacle

something that makes movement or progress difficult the warring groups need to shake off the manacle of their troubled past and learn to live with one another in peace

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

manacle

2 of 2

verb

as in to bind

to confine or restrain with or as if with chains manacled the prisoner to the wall

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to hamper

to create difficulty for the work or activity of in this situation, the police are manacled by unnecessary regulations

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb manacle contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of manacle are clog, fetter, hamper, shackle, and trammel. While all these words mean "to hinder or impede in moving, progressing, or acting," shackle and manacle are stronger than fetter and suggest total loss of freedom.

a mind shackled by stubborn prejudice

a people manacled by tyranny

When might clog be a better fit than manacle?

Although the words clog and manacle have much in common, clog usually implies a slowing by something extraneous or encumbering.

a court system clogged by frivolous suits

When would fetter be a good substitute for manacle?

The words fetter and manacle can be used in similar contexts, but fetter suggests a restraining so severe that freedom to move or progress is almost lost.

a nation fettered by an antiquated class system

When is it sensible to use hamper instead of manacle?

The synonyms hamper and manacle are sometimes interchangeable, but hamper may imply the effect of any impeding or restraining influence.

hampered the investigation by refusing to cooperate

When can trammel be used instead of manacle?

The words trammel and manacle are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, trammel suggests entangling by or confining within a net.

rules that trammel the artist's creativity

Examples 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 manacle

Noun

Beneath it, on the left side of the page, was a picture of Jackson in manacles. —

Mara Bovsun, New York Daily News, 29 June 2024 During the trial, Wilber wore a manacle around his ankle and a stun belt on his arm. —

Sarah Volpenhein, Journal Sentinel, 2 Aug. 2022 Brown turned Milwaukee’s defense from manacle to meme. —

Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 4 May 2022 How to Be an Antiracist is a journal of Kendi's efforts to free himself of the ideological manacles clamped upon him by a society suffused with white supremacism, capitalist exploitation, misogyny and the repression of unconventional sexuality. —

Dallas News, 26 Aug. 2019 From every officer’s belt there dangled an insectlike furl of disposable plastic manacles. —

Caleb Crain, Harper's magazine, 22 July 2019 The genie is literally the slave of the lamp, his power bracelets actually manacles keeping him obedient to an endless round of masters. —

Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 12 June 2019 But beyond the frenzied mix of hormones and alcohol is an intense curiosity in the outside world, one that noisily landed three weeks ago on the doorsteps of Russians, unfiltered and free from the manacles of politics. —

Amie Ferris-Rotman, Washington Post, 9 July 2018 The cellar dungeons were complete with bolts, chains and manacles for securing captives to the floors. —

Jonathan W. White, Smithsonian, 27 Feb. 2018

Verb

Drugged, kidnapped, and manacled while a pitiless killer wears her face. —

Keith Phipps, Vulture, 11 July 2024 Rubio hammered home his argument that there’s no daylight between Cuba’s lack of justice and Trump’s own trial, with a video featuring a military official manacled and brought before a crowd of more than 15,000 in the Havana Sports Palace arena. —

Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards, Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2024 The scandal is that, instead of doing his duty, the attorney general manacled his own Justice Department’s investigation. —

The Editors, National Review, 21 July 2023 His hands were manacled to a chain belt at his waist, and his feet were bound by leg irons. —

Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 4 Dec. 2019 During those endless days and nights, everything was done to break his will: solitary confinement, pressure to confess by cruel supervisors and the humiliation of being manacled while receiving medical attention. —

Ariel Dorfman, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2018 They are filmed in lingering close-up as the opening credits roll, a montage of them manacling the wrists, ankles, necks, and dreams of African American men. —

Rochelle Riley, Detroit Free Press, 25 Feb. 2018 Early practitioners in literary study, the history of language, and anthropology were often ideologically manacled by the cultural mores that encased their object of study. —

Josephine Livingstone, New Republic, 25 Oct. 2017 He was imprisoned and, along with several other artists, manacled for a period of 50 days. —

Anne Glusker, Smithsonian, 6 Apr. 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for manacle

Noun

Major movie theatre chains including AMC, Regal and Cinemark have explicitly stated rules against certain attire, including face paint.

Anika Reed, USA TODAY, 29 Nov. 2024
The new menu will include the chain's $5 Meal Deal as well as exclusive in-app offers as well as a Buy One, Add One for $1 option for some of customers' favorite breakfast, lunch and dinner items.

Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2024