free will

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.

free will

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

free will

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.)

Example Sentences

Ministers hope offering the vaccine free will not only protect youngsters from the severe, although rare, complications of chickenpox, but also save parents taking time off work to look after a sick child.

From BBC

A blooming pink jasmine frames the porch, and a quick-growing Sierra fig tree they got from the city for free will soon provide shade and fruit at the northeast edge of the frontyard.

From Los Angeles Times

But the task becomes less straightforward when Murderbot hacks the governor module in its system, granting itself free will.

From Los Angeles Times

On top of that, Szabo said, encampment residents have “free will” to refuse an offer of housing.

From Los Angeles Times

The humans around it have no idea that Murderbot has free will, or that it has changed its name.

From Salon