free-living
Americanadjective
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following a way of life in which one freely indulges the appetites, desires, etc.
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Biology. noting an organism that is neither parasitic, symbiotic, nor sessile.
adjective
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given to ready indulgence of the appetites
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(of animals and plants) not parasitic; existing independently
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of free-living
First recorded in 1810–20
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.
Environmental and public health researchers are drawing attention to a little-known group of pathogens that may pose a rising global danger: free living amoebae.
From Science Daily • Jan. 25, 2026
After all, parasites like hematophages are the bedrock of the tree of life, outnumbering free living species by about 3 to 2.
From Salon • Oct. 31, 2024
“My beautiful Smile is pain free, living in her new body alongside Jesus,” Schneider, 62, wrote.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 23, 2023
We’re not far into “Nick,” Michael Farris Smith’s new prequel to “The Great Gatsby,” before its hero has experienced enough combat, free living and disillusionment to launch the Jazz Age all by his lonesome.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 4, 2021
It is foolish to complain of fate, or rather of the life of free living, which made me have a tendency to rheumatic gout.
From The King's Men A Tale of To-morrow by Grant, Robert
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.
