freedom
Americannoun
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the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint.
He won his freedom after a retrial.
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exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.
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the power to determine action without restraint.
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political or national independence.
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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.
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exemption from the presence of anything specified (usually followed byfrom ).
freedom from fear.
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the absence of or release from ties, obligations, etc.
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ease or facility of movement or action.
to enjoy the freedom of living in the country.
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frankness of manner or speech.
- Synonyms:
- ingenuousness, openness
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general exemption or immunity.
freedom from taxation.
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the absence of ceremony or reserve.
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a liberty taken.
- Synonyms:
- license
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a particular immunity or privilege enjoyed, as by a city or corporation.
freedom to levy taxes.
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civil liberty, as opposed to subjection to an arbitrary or despotic government.
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the right to enjoy all the privileges or special rights of citizenship, membership, etc., in a community or the like.
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the right to frequent, enjoy, or use at will.
to have the freedom of a friend's library.
- Synonyms:
- run
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Philosophy. the power to exercise choice and make decisions without constraint from within or without; autonomy; self-determination.
noun
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personal liberty, as from slavery, bondage, serfdom, etc
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liberation or deliverance, as from confinement or bondage
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the quality or state of being free, esp to enjoy political and civil liberties
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(usually foll by from) the state of being without something unpleasant or bad; exemption or immunity
freedom from taxation
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the right or privilege of unrestricted use or access
the freedom of a city
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autonomy, self-government, or independence
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the power or liberty to order one's own actions
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philosophy the quality, esp of the will or the individual, of not being totally constrained; able to choose between alternative actions in identical circumstances
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ease or frankness of manner; candour
she talked with complete freedom
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excessive familiarity of manner; boldness
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ease and grace, as of movement; lack of effort
Synonym Usage
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 Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of freedom
First recorded before 900; Middle English fredom, Old English frēodōm; see free, -dom
Explanation
Freedom is the state of being entirely free. Many governments claim to guarantee freedom, but often people do not, in fact, have the absolute freedom to act or speak without restraint. People in jail long for freedom. People living under an oppressive government also long for freedom. In the United States, people theoretically have "freedom of speech": the right to say whatever they’re moved to say. You’ll notice the word free in freedom. Free comes from the German frei, meaning, “to love.” The word friend shares this origin. You can think of freedom as the condition in which you have the choice to love any friend you wish.
Vocabulary lists containing freedom
Veterans Day Vocabulary
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The First Amendment of the US Constitution
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"Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." and "I Have a Dream"
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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.
"This Nobel Prize will embolden Narges' fight for human rights, but more importantly, this is in fact a prize for the 'women, life and freedom' movement," he told Reuters.
From Reuters • Oct. 6, 2023
But seeing people wearing t-shirts and wearing nail polish that reads 'women, life, freedom' in both Persian and English gave the protesters a boost.
From BBC • Nov. 29, 2022
"In what universe is complaining about a reporter breaking an off the record agreement an 'assault on press freedom'?" Surabian wrote.
From Fox News • Jan. 26, 2020
“I call it the ‘summer of freedom’ in that we can now tell our truth.
From Slate • Aug. 9, 2018
He is of the school of Wordsworth in his love for and his familiar communion with nature; and here at least he gathered some fruit from the ‘unchartered freedom’ of his existence.
From The Age of Tennyson by Walker, Hugh
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.
