freedom

/ˈfridəm/

/ˈfridəm/

Other forms: freedoms

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.

Definitions of freedom

1. noun

   the condition of being free; the power to act, speak, or think without being controlled
   types:

   academic freedom

   the freedom of teachers and students to express their ideas in school without religious or political or institutional restrictions

   enfranchisement

   freedom from political subjugation or servitude

   blank check, free hand

   freedom to do as you see fit

   free rein, play

   the removal of constraints

   freedom of the seas

   the right of merchant ships to travel freely in international waters

   independence, independency

   freedom from control or influence of another or others

   liberty

   freedom of choice

   civil liberty, political liberty

   one's freedom to exercise one's rights as guaranteed under the laws of the country

   liberty

   personal freedom from servitude or confinement or oppression

   svoboda

   (Russia) freedom

   autonomy, liberty

   immunity from arbitrary exercise of authority: political independence

   autarchy, autarky

   economic independence as a national policy

   licence, license

   freedom to deviate deliberately from normally applicable rules or practices (especially in behavior or speech)

   latitude

   freedom from normal restraints in conduct

   licence, license

   excessive freedom; lack of due restraint

   discretion

   freedom to act or judge on one's own

   run

   unrestricted freedom to use

   autonomy, self-direction, self-reliance, self-sufficiency

   personal independence

   separateness

   political independence

   type of:

   state

   the way something is with respect to its main attributes
2. noun

   immunity from an obligation or duty
   synonyms: exemption

   types:

   amnesty

   a period during which offenders are exempt from punishment

   diplomatic immunity

   exemption from taxation or normal processes of law that is offered to diplomatic personnel in a foreign country

   indemnity

   legal exemption from liability for damages

   impunity

   exemption from punishment or loss

   grandfather clause

   an exemption based on circumstances existing prior to the adoption of some policy; used to enfranchise illiterate whites in south after the American Civil War

   type of:

   immunity, unsusceptibility

   the state of not being susceptible