emancipated
Americanadjective
-
not constrained or restricted by custom, tradition, superstition, etc..
a modern, emancipated woman.
-
freed, as from slavery or bondage.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of emancipated
First recorded in 1720–30; emancipate + -ed 2
Explanation
When you graduate from high school, you're emancipated from the confines of school. Emancipated means "free from restraints." When someone is set free from traditional restrictions, the kinds of limitations that society puts on a person, that person can be described as emancipated. A classic example of this is a woman who has escaped societal expectations of what women should do to live the life she chooses, or a member of a minority group who has become emancipated to achieve equality within his society. Emancipated can also describe a person who has turned 18 and is no longer a minor — old enough to be treated as an adult and not legally controlled by his or her parents.
Vocabulary lists containing emancipated
What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?
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Turtles All the Way Down
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The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In “The Emancipated Spectator,” he examines Plato’s foundational writings on democracy.
From Washington Post • Aug. 12, 2022
It would include a performance element — some of the Emancipated Stories read aloud.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2020
Emancipated from Lee’s home by a black woman as she emancipated herself, the priceless artifact is now in the hands of a storefront preacher in Queens.
From New York Times • Oct. 23, 2017
Emancipated from the careerist cell of his own mind’s making, and liberated to live permanently on the emotional edge of invention, Mellencamp’s motivation is now much simpler.
From Salon • Jun. 17, 2017
Emancipated woman developed soul and sentiment, and when Roman Law conquered the world, it spread everywhere the seeds of romance.
From Without Prejudice by Zangwill, Israel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
