as in escaped
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1
as in loosened
to set free (from a state of being held in check)
unleashed all of his unspoken love for her in a long letter that he hoped he would have the courage to mail
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in released
to find emotional release for
lifting weights is a way for me to unleash all the frustrations of the workday
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Recent Examples of unleashed
Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026
Allen’s comics get unleashed after Colbert’s final show airs on May 21.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026
The company’s failure to repay billions of dollars of wealth management products unleashed frustration among the lower and middle classes, many of whom had investments wiped out, provoking protests and threatening social stability.
—Reuters, NBC news, 14 Apr. 2026
The man in the mirror will be unleashed in Michael, an upcoming biopic about pop icon Michael Jackson.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
The tour unleashed immediate mixed reactions on social media.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
The Americans had total dominance over Iraqi airspace but stood back as Saddam unleashed helicopter gunships on the rebels.
—Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 9 Apr. 2026
This is a bot that, if unleashed, might be able to hack into banks, exfiltrate state secrets, and fry crucial infrastructure.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
Video obtained by the Daily News shows the victim arguing with a woman, whose two unleashed dogs run freely on the sidewalk nearby, when another woman wearing a red sweatshirt storms up and starts swinging.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
But the War on Terror persisted and mutated into nightmares in Iraq and Afghanistan, and then Syria, which unleashed that darkness in the form of terrorist states and a refugee crisis that spread anti-Muslim and anti-migrant hatred to Europe, the United States, and beyond.
—Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
Dunkin' menu also features Dirty Soda, Oreo items Dunkin' has unleashed its own version of Dirty Soda, the company announced.
—Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
His death unleashed a wave of violence in 20 states of the country.
—Rocío Muñoz-Ledo, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
Taveras unleashed a lifeline in a high-leverage spot, late in a game and with a full count.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
To recap, with eight seconds left in the game, and Lake Mary trailing 27-21, senior quarterback Noah Grubbs rolled to his right and unleashed a deep pass.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026
His associates have unleashed a war over control of the Sinaloa cartel against factions tied to Ismael Zambada, the co-founder of the group who is also awaiting trial in the United States.
—CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
Approximately two hours later, guests were unleashed once again into Devil Wears Prada Land, where more activations—a Zillow Rentals elevator!
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
His complicated legacy is book-ended by having unleashed nuclear bombs on Japan in 1945 and working to put the world back together over the next seven years of his presidency.
—Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026
Allen’s comics get unleashed after Colbert’s final show airs on May 21.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026
The company’s failure to repay billions of dollars of wealth management products unleashed frustration among the lower and middle classes, many of whom had investments wiped out, provoking protests and threatening social stability.
—Reuters, NBC news, 14 Apr. 2026
The man in the mirror will be unleashed in Michael, an upcoming biopic about pop icon Michael Jackson.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Apr. 2026
The tour unleashed immediate mixed reactions on social media.
—Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
The Americans had total dominance over Iraqi airspace but stood back as Saddam unleashed helicopter gunships on the rebels.
—Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 9 Apr. 2026
This is a bot that, if unleashed, might be able to hack into banks, exfiltrate state secrets, and fry crucial infrastructure.
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
Video obtained by the Daily News shows the victim arguing with a woman, whose two unleashed dogs run freely on the sidewalk nearby, when another woman wearing a red sweatshirt storms up and starts swinging.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
Frey unleashed his five-pitch arsenal, thwarting the Spartans most of the way.
—Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026
But the War on Terror persisted and mutated into nightmares in Iraq and Afghanistan, and then Syria, which unleashed that darkness in the form of terrorist states and a refugee crisis that spread anti-Muslim and anti-migrant hatred to Europe, the United States, and beyond.
—Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
Dunkin' menu also features Dirty Soda, Oreo items Dunkin' has unleashed its own version of Dirty Soda, the company announced.
—Gabe Hauari, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
His death unleashed a wave of violence in 20 states of the country.
—Rocío Muñoz-Ledo, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
Taveras unleashed a lifeline in a high-leverage spot, late in a game and with a full count.
—Zack Meisel, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
To recap, with eight seconds left in the game, and Lake Mary trailing 27-21, senior quarterback Noah Grubbs rolled to his right and unleashed a deep pass.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026
His associates have unleashed a war over control of the Sinaloa cartel against factions tied to Ismael Zambada, the co-founder of the group who is also awaiting trial in the United States.
—CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
Approximately two hours later, guests were unleashed once again into Devil Wears Prada Land, where more activations—a Zillow Rentals elevator!
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unleashed
Adjective
-
An escaped convict who shot and killed a state trooper was found hiding in Pennsuco.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
-
His car was found on the Turkey Creek Bridge near Denver, where he had been abducted by an escaped murderer, Joseph Corbett, looking for a quick get-rich scheme.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
As crises have accumulated in the decade since, the hoodie’s tight connection to anti-Black violence seems to have loosened.—
Dawn Chan,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Plus, the straps can be tightened or loosened to your liking.—
Emily Weaver,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
That would mark the first withdrawal under this tool since February 2025, according to Bloomberg calculations based on the operation plan released late on Friday.—
Bloomberg,
Bloomberg,
27 Apr. 2026
-
His name and the name of the suspect in the shooting have not yet been released by police.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Despite taking a progressive stand on labor, the Church nonetheless defended industrialization and private-property rights, forging a middle way that rejected both unfettered capitalism and socialism.—
Elias Wachtel,
The Atlantic,
25 Apr. 2026
-
After the midterm elections, Kennedy will be once again unfettered in his ability to chase destruction of vaccines.—
Will Walters,
STAT,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Who could possibly claim to have unlocked this secret?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Eze unlocked the game with great finesse from range.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Weisswange glanced around at the machines on either side of us, all of them waiting for repairs, their tracks unchained and gun barrels angled upward.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The cap just seems unchained now.—
Jeremy Rutherford,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The entire Mets lineup has been marred in an uncharacteristic slump, but in the bottom of the fourth inning on Tuesday night at Citi Field, Juan Soto uncorked a very characteristic home run.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
-
On the second play of the spring game Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium, quarterback Drake Lindsey uncorked a 74-yard completion to Cincinnati transfer receiver Noah Jennings to get to the 2-yard line.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unleashed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unleashed. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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