free will

American  

noun

1. free and independent choice; voluntary decision.

   You took on the responsibility of your own free will.

2. Philosophy.  the doctrine that the conduct of human beings expresses personal choice and is not simply determined by physical or divine forces.

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free will British  

noun

1. 1. the apparent human ability to make choices that are not externally determined

   2. the doctrine that such human freedom of choice is not illusory Compare determinism

   3. ( as modifier )

      a free-will decision

2. the ability to make a choice without coercion

   he left of his own free will: I did not influence him

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free will Cultural  

1. The ability to choose, think, and act voluntarily. For many philosophers, to believe in free will is to believe that human beings can be the authors of their own actions and to reject the idea that human actions are determined by external conditions or fate. (See determinism, fatalism, and predestination.)

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Example Sentences

Moments before a cosmic event leaves Carol and 12 others alone in retaining their free will, she expresses resentment for being trapped in a cycle of incredible success.

From Salon

Medically assisted dying is allowed in Germany under certain conditions, the outlet said, for people who are legally capable and acting of their own free will.

From Los Angeles Times

Alternately, God could override our free will so that we no longer have the power or capacity to sin.

From The Wall Street Journal

When it comes to his wife’s religion, Vance said she has “free will” — an admission he made in his usual self-congratulatory tone.

From Salon

Such theological reasoning is serious, stalwart and chilly, not unrelated to the cold logic of double predestination and the denial of free will.

From The Wall Street Journal