1
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
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2
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
1
as in to bind
to confine or restrain with or as if with chains
manacled the prisoner to the wall
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to hamper
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
in this situation, the police are manacled by unnecessary regulations
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of manacle
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
The cellar dungeons were complete with bolts, chains and manacles for securing captives to the floors.
—Jonathan W. White, Smithsonian, 27 Feb. 2018
Eric Cortellessa, Time, 10 June 2025
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
Noun
Beneath it, on the left side of the page, was a picture of Jackson in manacles.
—Verb
Once the detainees were on board, agents brought in a van with dozens of women, also manacled, to board next.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for manacle
Noun
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The burger chain originally opened in 1982 near the corner of C Street and Elvas Avenue in East Sacramento, according to previous Bee reporting.—
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Maybe the implications of binding yourself in chains?—
Noun
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Joint pain that turns stairs into obstacles.—
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One other obstacle the White House will need to contend with, Hochstein said, is blowback from Gulf countries and from China.—
Verb
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Whether your child is 4 or 14, they’re bound to enjoy building their own creations from this Lego Brick Box that’s on sale for $18.—
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So, pack your hiking boots, your binoculars, and maybe a little extra phone storage for the photos you’re bound to take.—
Verb
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Maintain a safe distance from large vehicles - Trucks or buses can produce a water spray that hampers visibility.—
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Archival added that rescue efforts had been hampered by the fact that any sparks created by digging machinery could ignite methane gas emitted by the landfill, per the outlet.—
Noun
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He was booked into the jail in July and remained in the jail with a bond set at $50,000, according to court records.—
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Their bond was deep, joyful, and unmistakable to anyone who witnessed it.—
Noun
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Billing Headaches Clearing the access hurdles to HIV prevention medicine was just the beginning.—
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Development of Greenland’s mineral resources is challenging because of the island’s harsh climate, while strict environmental controls have proved an additional hurdle for potential investors.—
Verb
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Demin hit a 3-pointer with six seconds to go to tie it, and Banchero missed a 30-footer at the buzzer.—
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Schnapp also spoke to PEOPLE about the series ending, insisting that all loose ends had been tied — even his character’s longstanding crush on his best friend Mike (Wolfhard).—
Verb
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Normally, scent voices are mere whispers compared to the screams and angry shouts of humans, but in that section, certain sensitive plant species shrieked incessantly because of their proximity to plants that hindered their growth.—
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Among the factors hindering higher youth participation, CIRCLE research shows, include confusing registration deadlines and requirements, a lack of youth outreach and a dearth of regular curriculum that teaches young people about elections and voting in school.—
Cite this Entry
“Manacle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/manacle. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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