freedom

== 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) (uncountable) The state of being free. Synonym: (rare or nonstandard) freehood (countable) The lack of a specific constraint, or of constraints in general; a state of being free, unconstrained. Synonym: freeness 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. Frankness; openness; unreservedness. 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. William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “freedom”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC. === Further reading === freedom on Wikipedia.Wikipedia === Anagrams === fordeem == Middle English == === Noun === freedom (Late Middle English) alternative form of fredom