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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 unconfined
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
Destroying a pier is likely beyond the capability of an unconfined sea drone explosion.
—Ben Hodges, Led Klosky, Robert Person, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2023
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
One, the kind researchers are now worried about, is the unconfined water that gathers in the pore spaces of soil very close to the surface.
—Rosanna Xiastaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2023
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
Destroying a pier is likely beyond the capability of an unconfined sea drone explosion.
—Ben Hodges, Led Klosky, Robert Person, Foreign Affairs, 5 Dec. 2023
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
One, the kind researchers are now worried about, is the unconfined water that gathers in the pore spaces of soil very close to the surface.
—Rosanna Xiastaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unconfined
Adjective
-
That film was the third in Trier’s loose Oslo trilogy and was co-written with his long-time collaborator Eskil Vogt, who is also a co-writer on Sentimental Value.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
10 Apr. 2025
-
Collins went on to join another funk pioneer: George Clinton, whose alternating bands Parliament and Funkadelic were innovating a looser, more improvisational and funnier style that would help define Black music in the ’70s.—
Steve Knopper,
Billboard,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.—
Starr Bowenbank,
People.com,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Other policies vastly expand federal power, such as his expansion of an imperial presidency unbound by congressional or judicial restraint.—
Steven Greenhut,
Orange County Register,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Casa Batlló and Casa Milá give you a glimpse into the fluid thoughts and unbound creativity that make Gaudi’s works architectural wonders.—
Rebecca Deurlein,
Forbes,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Amid such unrestrained play, the mind seizes all the more fiercely onto recurring images.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
3 Apr. 2025
-
To our collective pleasure, S.S. Rajamouli directs with an absolutely unrestrained imagination: fight scenes defy gravity, characters crash through walls and metaphors alike and even the smallest moments are delivered with mythic weight.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unconfined.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unconfined. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share