the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint: He won his freedom after a retrial.
exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.
the power to determine action without restraint.
political or national independence.
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.
exemption from the presence of anything specified (usually followed by from): freedom from fear.
the absence of or release from ties, obligations, etc.
ease or facility of movement or action: to enjoy the freedom of living in the country.
frankness of manner or speech.
general exemption or immunity: freedom from taxation.
the absence of ceremony or reserve.
a liberty taken.
a particular immunity or privilege enjoyed, as by a city or corporation: freedom to levy taxes.
civil liberty, as opposed to subjection to an arbitrary or despotic government.
the right to enjoy all the privileges or special rights of citizenship, membership, etc., in a community or the like.
the right to frequent, enjoy, or use at will: to have the freedom of a friend's library.
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
First recorded before 900; Middle English fredom, Old English frēodōm; see free, -dom
SYNONYMS FOR freedom
9 openness, ingenuousness.
12 license.
16 run.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR freedom ON THESAURUS.COM
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.
You want to be right up to that edge where it’s dynamic and there’s freedom.
What if Your Company Had No Rules? (Bonus Episode)|Maria Konnikova|September 12, 2020|Freakonomics
He has no idea what the brave men and women who have fought and even died in war for our country, and those in the military today protecting our freedoms, stand for.
My Dad served in WWII — he was a hero, not a loser|Peter Rosenstein|September 10, 2020|Washington Blade
Instead, Brazil’s National Congress is considering legislation that would violate the privacy and freedom of expression of the country’s 137 million internet users.
Brazil’s “fake news” bill won’t solve its misinformation problem|Amy Nordrum|September 10, 2020|MIT Technology Review
This limitless freedom that it feels like I can feel in her performance there.
After Playing So Many Roles, Who Is the Real Tatiana Maslany?|Eromo Egbejule|September 4, 2020|Ozy
He’ll remember his one moment of freedom, he claims, when he’s “old and bent.”
Toward a queer Disney canon|Emily VanDerWerff|September 4, 2020|Vox
It was also an attack on our freedom of expression and way of life.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The more we appease, the more we indulge, the more emboldened the enemies of freedom become.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: Our Duty Is to Keep Charlie Hebdo Alive|Ayaan Hirsi Ali|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Freedom of speech, then, is sometimes not worth the trouble that comes with it.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It was something ineffable and harder to define: freedom of speech.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Police, their representatives and supporters tell us, ensure our freedom of speech through our ability to protest.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
This enabled Trade Unions to develop with a large measure of freedom.
The Outline of History: Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind|Herbert George Wells
Its innoccuous nature, and its freedom from any corrosive action on dissecting instruments.
History of Embalming|J. N. Gannal
So early as in 1609 the great Grotius had published his treatise of Mare Liberum in favour of the freedom of the seas.
Curiosities of Literature, Vol. II (of 3)|Isaac Disraeli
They are such as reason must admire, for they are the result of industry, temperance, and freedom.
Travels in North America, From Modern Writers|William Bingley
The same historic authority records another triumph of freedom.
Charles Sumner; his complete works; Volume 2 (of 20)|Charles Sumner
British Dictionary definitions for freedom
freedom
/ (ˈfriːdəm) /
noun
personal liberty, as from slavery, bondage, serfdom, etc
liberation or deliverance, as from confinement or bondage
the quality or state of being free, esp to enjoy political and civil liberties
(usually foll by from)the state of being without something unpleasant or bad; exemption or immunityfreedom from taxation
the right or privilege of unrestricted use or accessthe freedom of a city
autonomy, self-government, or independence
the power or liberty to order one's own actions
philosophythe quality, esp of the will or the individual, of not being totally constrained; able to choose between alternative actions in identical circumstances
ease or frankness of manner; candourshe talked with complete freedom