ENGLISH
REFERENCE

shackled

v.
C1 Advanced US //ˈʃækəɫd// UK //ʃˈækəld// shack·led

v. to be tied up with heavy metal chains, usually because you are a prisoner. It can also mean to be limited or controlled by something that stops you from being free.

v. to be restrained by chains or other heavy fetters; figuratively, to be restricted or burdened by a limiting factor. Often used in the passive voice to describe a state of restriction.


SIMPLE

The prisoner was shackled to the wall.

CONTEXTUAL

The small business was shackled by high interest rates and strict lending laws that prevented it from growing.

COMPLEX

While the physical shackled of the captives was a visible sign of their loss of freedom, the psychological shackled of their former lives proved far more difficult to overcome.

Synonyms

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