freely
/ˈfriːli
/adverb
1Not under the control of another; as one wishes: I roamed freely...
- If he cares so much for the ‘strong hopes’ of the Taiwanese people, he should respect their wish to choose freely in a referendum.
- My mind can roam freely, questioning what I choose, focusing how I wish, and walking paths that are unacceptable in a scientific setting.
- Conservative believers in individual liberty and personal autonomy should allow citizens to freely choose a life partner whether gay or straight.
1.1Without restriction or interference: air can freely circulate...
- The huge flow of freely available information stemming from the work of countless specialists is one of the riches of our culture, and is something of which universities have good cause to be proud.
- As we revealed earlier this month, the dossier was almost entirely compiled from information freely available on the internet.
- Corruption occurs when that information is not freely available - cover-up and concealment are necessary for insider trading to flourish.
1.2Openly and honestly: you may speak freely...
- She has captured the essence of the lives and stories of the 40 women who spoke so openly and freely to her about the society and events which shaped their lives.
- One of the great changes that have come over Australia in the last six months is that people do feel able to speak a little more freely and openly about how they feel.
- Once gathered, they are free to speak to one another openly and freely.
Synonyms
openly, candidly, frankly, plainly, matter-of-factly, straightforwardly, directly, explicitly, bluntly, outspokenly, unreservedly, without constraint, without inhibition;
truthfully, honestly, without beating about the bush, without mincing one's words, without prevarication
1.3Willingly and readily: I freely confess to this failing...
- As we have seen, no one has, so far, been willing to freely admit responsibility for those two cases.
- The success of these clubs is due to the extraordinary commitment of effort, energy, time and generosity which a throng of coaches and organizers give willingly and freely.
- It was a clever idea based on the premise that you should always freely and willingly give the press everything they would otherwise find out by themselves anyway - and put your spin on it.
Synonyms
voluntarily, willingly, readily;
of one's own volition, of one's own accord, of one's own free will, without being asked, without being forced, without reluctance
2In copious or generous amounts: she drank freely to keep up her courage...
- However the copious amount of alcohol flowing freely stemmed any negative thoughts on the day, and everyone had a top time.
- According to Buddhist folklore, the Buddha-to-be was born as Prince Vessandorn, a generous man who gave freely to the people.
- Alcohol flowed freely as drinking games were started.