emancipation

American  

[ih-man-suh-pey-shuhn] / ɪˌmæn səˈpeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act of emancipating.

2. the state or fact of being emancipated. emancipated.

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emancipation British  

/ ɪˌmænsɪˈpeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of freeing or state of being freed; liberation

2. informal freedom from inhibition and convention

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Other Word Forms

• emancipationist noun
• nonemancipation noun
• preemancipation noun
• self-emancipation noun

Etymology

Origin of emancipation

First recorded in 1625–35; from Latin ēmancipātiōn-, stem of ēmancipātiō, from ēmancipāt(us) “freed from control” (past participle of ēmancipāre “to free from control”; emancipate ) + -iō -ion

Compare meaning

How does emancipation compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• manumission vs. emancipation

Example Sentences

The ad's originality lay in the fact it did not directly show off the product, but instead promised a new world of emancipation for consumers thanks to home computers.

From Barron's • Mar. 29, 2026

Maybe it’s the emancipation of women in the last 50 years.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

But Iranians have never remained satisfied with national bargains in which they forfeit political rights for economic dividends or social emancipation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

In 1974, Sadr launched the Movement of the Deprived, a social and political organisation which called for proportional representation for the Shia and social and economic emancipation for the poor, regardless of their religion.

From BBC • Sep. 1, 2025

Some 500,000 slaves were brought here, and there were four million enslaved African Americans at the time of emancipation.

From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson

Related Words

• independence
• liberation