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freedom

 - 6 dictionary results

free⋅dom

  [free-duhm]
Use freedom in a Sentence
–noun
1. 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 frēodōm. 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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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free·dom   (frē'dəm)   
n.  

  1. The condition of being free of restraints.

  2. Liberty of the person from slavery, detention, or oppression.

    1. Political independence.

    2. Exemption from the arbitrary exercise of authority in the performance of a specific action; civil liberty: freedom of assembly.

    3. The right to unrestricted use; full access: was given the freedom of their research facilities.

    4. The right of enjoying all of the privileges of membership or citizenship: the freedom of the city.

  4. Exemption from an unpleasant or onerous condition: freedom from want.

  5. The capacity to exercise choice; free will: We have the freedom to do as we please all afternoon.

  6. Ease or facility of movement: loose sports clothing, giving the wearer freedom.

  7. Frankness or boldness; lack of modesty or reserve: the new freedom in movies and novels.

    1. The right to unrestricted use; full access: was given the freedom of their research facilities.

    2. The right of enjoying all of the privileges of membership or citizenship: the freedom of the city.

  9. 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).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

freedom 
O.E. freodom (see free). Freedom-rider recorded 1961, in ref. to civil rights activists in U.S. trying to integrate bus lines.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: free·dom
Function: noun
1 : the quality or state of being free: as a : the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action b : liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another c : the quality or state of being exempt or released from something onerous
2 a : a political or civil right b : FRANCHISE 2
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Bible Dictionary

Freedom

The law of Moses pointed out the cases in which the servants of the Hebrews were to receive their freedom (Ex. 21:2-4, 7, 8; Lev. 25:39-42, 47-55; Deut. 15:12-18). Under the Roman law the "freeman" (ingenuus) was one born free; the "freedman" (libertinus) was a manumitted slave, and had not equal rights with the freeman (Acts 22:28; comp. Acts 16:37-39; 21:39; 22:25; 25:11, 12).

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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Encyclopedia

freedom

in humans, the power or capacity to choose among alternatives or to act in certain situations independently of natural, social, or divine restraints. Free will is denied by those who espouse any of various forms of determinism. Arguments for free will are based on the subjective experience of freedom, on sentiments of guilt, on revealed religion, and on the universal supposition of responsibility for personal actions that underlies the concepts of law, reward, punishment, and incentive. In theology, the existence of free will must be reconciled with God's omniscience and goodness (in allowing man to choose badly), and with divine grace, which allegedly is necessary for any meritorious act. A prominent feature of modern Existentialism is the concept of a radical, perpetual, and frequently agonizing freedom of choice. Jean-Paul Sartre, for example, speaks of the individual "condemned to be free" even though his situation may be wholly determined.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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