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.
3.
the power to determine action without restraint.
4.
political or national independence.
5.
personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery: a slave who bought his freedom.
6.
exemption from the presence of anything specified (usually fol. by from): freedom from fear.
7.
the absence of or release from ties, obligations, etc.
8.
ease or facility of movement or action: to enjoy the freedom of living in the country.
9.
frankness of manner or speech.
10.
general exemption or immunity: freedom from taxation.
11.
the absence of ceremony or reserve.
12.
a liberty taken.
13.
a particular immunity or privilege enjoyed, as by a city or corporation: freedom to levy taxes.
14.
civil liberty, as opposed to subjection to an arbitrary or despotic government.
15.
the right to enjoy all the privileges or special rights of citizenship, membership, etc., in a community or the like.
16.
the right to frequent, enjoy, or use at will: to have the freedom of a friend's library.
17.
Philosophy. the power to exercise choice and make decisions without constraint from within or without; autonomy; self-determination. Compare necessity(def. 7).
[Origin: bef. 900; ME fredom, OE fréodōm.See free, -dom]
—Synonyms 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. 9. openness, ingenuousness. 12. license. 16. run.
Liberty of the person from slavery, detention, or oppression.
Political independence.
Exemption from the arbitrary exercise of authority in the performance of a specific action; civil liberty: freedom of assembly.
The right to unrestricted use; full access: was given the freedom of their research facilities.
The right of enjoying all of the privileges of membership or citizenship: the freedom of the city.
Exemption from an unpleasant or onerous condition: freedom from want.
The capacity to exercise choice; free will: We have the freedom to do as we please all afternoon.
Ease or facility of movement: loose sports clothing, giving the wearer freedom.
Frankness or boldness; lack of modesty or reserve: the new freedom in movies and novels.
The right to unrestricted use; full access: was given the freedom of their research facilities.
The right of enjoying all of the privileges of membership or citizenship: the freedom of the city.
A right or the power to engage in certain actions without control or interference: "the seductive freedoms and excesses of the picaresque form"(John W. Aldridge).
[Middle English fredom, from Old English frēodōm : frēo, free; see free + -dōm, -dom.]
Synonyms: These nouns refer to the power to act, speak, or think without externally imposed restraints. Freedom is the most general term: "In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free" (Abraham Lincoln).
Liberty stresses the power of free choice: "liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, do just as one pleases" (William Hazlitt).
License sometimes denotes deliberate deviation from normally applicable rules or practices to achieve a desired effect: poetic license.
Frequently, though, it denotes undue freedom: "the intolerable license with which the newspapers break . . . the rules of decorum" (Edmund Burke).
Freedom, CA (CDP, FIPS 25576) Location: 36.94003 N, 121.78932 W Population (1990): 8361 (2374 housing units) Area: 4.2 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 95019
Freedom, IN Zip code(s): 47431
Freedom, ME Zip code(s): 04941
Freedom, NH Zip code(s): 03836
Freedom, OK (town, FIPS 27850) Location: 36.76652 N, 99.11256 W Population (1990): 264 (147 housing units) Area: 0.7 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 73842
Freedom, PA (borough, FIPS 27712) Location: 40.68465 N, 80.25336 W Population (1990): 1897 (774 housing units) Area: 1.5 sq km (land), 0.3 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 15042
Freedom, WY Zip code(s): 83120
New Freedom, PA (borough, FIPS 53568) Location: 39.73630 N, 76.69681 W Population (1990): 2920 (1055 housing units) Area: 5.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 17349
East Freedom, PA Zip code(s): 16637
North Freedom, WI (village, FIPS 58025) Location: 43.45874 N, 89.86310 W Population (1990): 591 (251 housing units) Area: 2.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 53951
Free"dom\ (fr[=e]"d[u^]m), n. [AS. fre['o]d[=o]m; fre['o]free + -dom. See Free, and -dom.]1. The state of being free; exemption from the power and control of another; liberty; independence. Made captive, yet deserving freedom more. --Milton. 2. Privileges; franchises; immunities. Your charter and your caty's freedom. --Shak. 3. Exemption from necessity, in choise and action; as, the freedom of the will. 4. Ease; facility; as, he speaks or acts with freedom. 5. Frankness; openness; unreservedness. I emboldened spake and freedom used. --Milton. 6. Improper familiarity; violation of the rules of decorum; license. 7. Generosity; liberality. [Obs.] --Chaucer. Freedom fine, a sum paid on entry to incorporations of trades. Freedom of the city, the possession of the rights and privileges of a freeman of the city; formerly often, and now occasionally, conferred on one not a resident, as a mark of honorary distinction for public services. Syn: See Liberty.
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