free-living

[free-liv-ing]

See more synonyms for free-living on Thesaurus.com

adjective

following a way of life in which one freely indulges the appetites, desires, etc.
Biology. noting an organism that is neither parasitic, symbiotic, nor sessile.

Origin of free-living

First recorded in 1810–20

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for free-living

intemperance, indulgence, profligacy, dissolution, abandonment, evil, extravagance, dissoluteness, drunkenness, excess, lavishness, prodigality, waste, debauchery, self-gratification, free-living

Examples from the Web for free-living

Historical Examples of free-living

Among the free-living non-pathogenic forms much larger examples are found.
Disease and Its Causes
William Thomas Councilman
The parasitic forms differ anatomically from the free-living worms.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide
Augusta Foote Arnold
Up to the present no intentional practical utilization of this valuable property of these free-living forms has been made.
The Fundamentals of Bacteriology
Charles Bradfield Morrey
Known dates for nesting of free-living females were distributed rather evenly through the month of June.
Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz
John M. Legler
Slightly less than half of the free-living individuals studied grew in the season of hatching.
Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz
John M. Legler

British Dictionary definitions for free-living

free-living

adjective

given to ready indulgence of the appetites
(of animals and plants) not parasitic; existing independently

Derived Formsfree-liver, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012