as in loose
not bound, confined, or detained by force
residents of the camp for drug rehabilitation are completely unconfined—no one is there unless they want to be
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Recent Examples of unconfined
Another unconfined delegation that should be subject to judicial scrutiny is provided by the Civil Rights Restoration Act, passed by the Democrats over President Ronald Reagan’s veto, which established the government’s power to arbitrarily withhold funding from universities.
—
George Liebmann, Baltimore Sun, 1 June 2025
This accounted for just 3 percent of heating fires overall, but these led to more than 40 percent of fatalities, in part because portable heaters tend to be placed precisely where people live and sleep, and because the resulting fires are far more likely to be unconfined.
—Matthew Korfhage, WIRED, 24 Mar. 2025
But even with this extensive network, there still is a need for improvements to address data gaps and enhance the representation of different aquifers, both in confined and unconfined conditions.
—Claire Marks, Austin American-Statesman, 27 Aug. 2024
But the physics of an unconfined air blast that disperses its energy in all directions meant that only a small percentage of the blast’s force was focused directly on the bridge’s underside.
—Ben Hodges, Led Klosky, Robert Person, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2023
Let joy be unconfined!
—Vulture, 2 Nov. 2022
An average of about 2,400 calls are received by Anchorage Animal Care and Control each year about off-leash or unconfined animals, mostly dogs, said Tamiah Liebersbach, the administration manager for the municipal health department, which works alongside the Animal Control Advisory Board.
—Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Feb. 2021
Principles of biological terrestrial locomotion have been discovered on unconfined vertical and horizontal substrates.
—Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 31 May 2013
George Liebmann, Baltimore Sun, 1 June 2025
This accounted for just 3 percent of heating fires overall, but these led to more than 40 percent of fatalities, in part because portable heaters tend to be placed precisely where people live and sleep, and because the resulting fires are far more likely to be unconfined.
—Matthew Korfhage, WIRED, 24 Mar. 2025
But even with this extensive network, there still is a need for improvements to address data gaps and enhance the representation of different aquifers, both in confined and unconfined conditions.
—Claire Marks, Austin American-Statesman, 27 Aug. 2024
But the physics of an unconfined air blast that disperses its energy in all directions meant that only a small percentage of the blast’s force was focused directly on the bridge’s underside.
—Ben Hodges, Led Klosky, Robert Person, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2023
Let joy be unconfined!
—Vulture, 2 Nov. 2022
An average of about 2,400 calls are received by Anchorage Animal Care and Control each year about off-leash or unconfined animals, mostly dogs, said Tamiah Liebersbach, the administration manager for the municipal health department, which works alongside the Animal Control Advisory Board.
—Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Feb. 2021
Principles of biological terrestrial locomotion have been discovered on unconfined vertical and horizontal substrates.
—Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 31 May 2013
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unconfined
Adjective
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Compared to Rich Table, RT Bistro is more intimate, with slightly brighter lighting, but an equally loose vibe.—
Cesar Hernandez,
San Francisco Chronicle,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Borrowers, particularly private equity firms, increasingly turned to direct lenders offering faster execution and looser terms.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Property-tax breaks, discounted prices on land, cheap leases, municipal bonds, free utilities—local governments will offer all these things and more to get teams to come or to stay.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Soccer journalist Andrew Wiebe will moderate a panel discussion exploring how data is transforming the sport at this free event.—
Dan Kelly
March 29,
Kansas City Star,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Valadao’s campaign says the votes show the congressman is an independent thinker, unbound by partisan ideology.—
David Lightman,
Sacbee.com,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Tiwa Savage has stepped into her era of emotional depth—unbound and unbothered.—
Essence,
Essence,
4 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
In contrast, post-liberals sharply distinguish the libertarian project (in all its forms) from genuine conservatism, arguing that the latter requires a commitment to social cohesion that is incompatible with unrestrained individualism.—
Suzanne Schneider,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Mar. 2026
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Police believe Lopez ran a stop sign and collided with another vehicle, and that her unrestrained 6‑month‑old son - later identified as Sebastian Reyes - was ejected.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unconfined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unconfined. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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