freedom

English Online Dictionary. What means freedom‎? What does freedom mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English fredom, freedom, from Old English frēodōm (“freedom, state of free-will, charter, emancipation, deliverance”), from Proto-West Germanic *frijadōm (“freedom”). Equivalent to free +‎ -dom. Cognate with North Frisian fridoem (“freedom”), Dutch vrijdom (“freedom”), Low German frīdom (“freedom”), Middle High German vrītuom (“freedom”), Norwegian fridom (“freedom”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: frē'dəm, IPA^(key): /ˈfɹiːdəm/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈfɹidəm/
• Rhymes: -iːdəm
• Hyphenation: free‧dom

Noun

freedom (countable and uncountable, plural freedoms)

1. (uncountable) The state of being free, of not being imprisoned or enslaved.

   Synonym: freehood
2. (countable) The lack of a specific constraint, or of constraints in general; a state of being free, unconstrained.

   Synonym: freeness

3. The right or privilege of unrestricted use or access
   • 1854, History, Gazetteer, and Directory, of Norfolk, and the City and County of the City of Norwich ... (Sheffield, Francis White & Co.), p 77:

     The freedom of the city can now only be acquired by birth or servitude; but many were formerly admitted by gift and purchase, a fine of from £ 3 to £ 25, according to trade, being charged on the admission of strangers.

4. Frankness; openness; unreservedness.
5. Improper familiarity; violation of the rules of decorum.

Usage notes

• Freedom from can be followed by various nouns, typically, fear, want, hunger, pain, hatred, disease, stress, depression, debt, poverty, necessity, violence, war, advertising, addiction, etc.

Synonyms

• liberty
• license
• exemption

Antonyms

• bondage
• constraint
• imprisonment
• slavery
• unfreedom

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations

References

• “freedom”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• freedom in Keywords for Today: A 21st Century Vocabulary, edited by The Keywords Project, Colin MacCabe, Holly Yanacek, 2018.
• “freedom”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Further reading

• freedom on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• fordeem