freedom

[ free-duhm ]
See synonyms for: freedomfreedoms on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint: He won his freedom after a retrial.

  2. exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.

  1. the power to determine action without restraint.

  2. political or national independence.

  3. personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery: The formerly enslaved seamstress bought her freedom and later became Mary Todd Lincoln’s dressmaker and stylist.

  4. exemption from the presence of anything specified (usually followed by from): freedom from fear.

  5. the absence of or release from ties, obligations, etc.

  6. ease or facility of movement or action: to enjoy the freedom of living in the country.

  7. frankness of manner or speech.

  8. general exemption or immunity: freedom from taxation.

  9. the absence of ceremony or reserve.

  10. a liberty taken.

  11. a particular immunity or privilege enjoyed, as by a city or corporation: freedom to levy taxes.

  12. civil liberty, as opposed to subjection to an arbitrary or despotic government.

  13. the right to enjoy all the privileges or special rights of citizenship, membership, etc., in a community or the like.

  14. the right to frequent, enjoy, or use at will: to have the freedom of a friend's library.

  15. Philosophy. the power to exercise choice and make decisions without constraint from within or without; autonomy; self-determination.: Compare necessity (def. 7).

Origin of freedom

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English fredom, Old English frēodōm; see free, -dom

synonym study For freedom

1. Freedom, independence, liberty refer to an absence of undue restrictions and an opportunity to exercise one's rights and powers. Freedom emphasizes the opportunity given for the exercise of one's rights, powers, desires, or the like: freedom of speech or conscience; freedom of movement. Independence implies not only lack of restrictions but also the ability to stand alone, unsustained by anything else: Independence of thought promotes invention and discovery. Liberty, though most often interchanged with freedom, is also used to imply undue exercise of freedom: He took liberties with the text.

Other words for freedom

Other words from freedom

  • non·free·dom, noun
  • o·ver·free·dom, noun
  • un·free·dom, noun

Words Nearby freedom

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use freedom in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for freedom

freedom

/ (ˈfriːdəm) /


noun
  1. personal liberty, as from slavery, bondage, serfdom, etc

  2. liberation or deliverance, as from confinement or bondage

  1. the quality or state of being free, esp to enjoy political and civil liberties

  2. (usually foll by from) the state of being without something unpleasant or bad; exemption or immunity: freedom from taxation

  3. the right or privilege of unrestricted use or access: the freedom of a city

  4. autonomy, self-government, or independence

  5. the power or liberty to order one's own actions

  6. philosophy the quality, esp of the will or the individual, of not being totally constrained; able to choose between alternative actions in identical circumstances

  7. ease or frankness of manner; candour: she talked with complete freedom

  8. excessive familiarity of manner; boldness

  9. ease and grace, as of movement; lack of effort

Origin of freedom

1
Old English frēodōm

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