Phrase guide

degree of freedom

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of the coordinates, a minimum number of which are needed to specify the motion of a mechanical system.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any of the independent variables required to specify the thermodynamic state of a system containing components and phases.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: natural-sciences, physical-sciences, physics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Any unrestricted variable in a frequency distribution.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

(statistics) an unrestricted variable in a frequency distribution

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: variable, variable quantity

5

noun

Meaning 5

one of the minimum number of parameters needed to describe the state of a physical system

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: parameter, parametric quantity

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

31 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: сте́пен на свобо́да (stépen na svobóda) — minimum number of coordinates usable to describe a mechanical system
  • Chinese Mandarin: 自由度 (zìyóudù) — minimum number of coordinates usable to describe a mechanical system
  • Czech: stupeň volnosti — minimum number of coordinates usable to describe a mechanical system
  • Finnish: vapausaste — minimum number of coordinates usable to describe a mechanical system
  • French: degré de liberté — minimum number of coordinates usable to describe a mechanical system
  • German: Freiheitsgrad — minimum number of coordinates usable to describe a mechanical system
  • Hungarian: szabadsági fok — minimum number of coordinates usable to describe a mechanical system
  • Italian: grado di libertà — minimum number of coordinates usable to describe a mechanical system
  • Japanese: 自由度 (jiyūdo) — minimum number of coordinates usable to describe a mechanical system
  • Macedonian: степен на слобода (stepen na sloboda) — minimum number of coordinates usable to describe a mechanical system
  • Polish: stopień swobody — minimum number of coordinates usable to describe a mechanical system
  • Romanian: grad de libertate — minimum number of coordinates usable to describe a mechanical system
  • Russian: сте́пень свобо́ды (stépenʹ svobódy) — minimum number of coordinates usable to describe a mechanical system
  • Swedish: frihetsgrad — minimum number of coordinates usable to describe a mechanical system
  • Vietnamese: bậc tự do — minimum number of coordinates usable to describe a mechanical system
  • Finnish: vapausaste — independent variable required to specify the thermodynamic state
  • Hungarian: szabadsági fok — independent variable required to specify the thermodynamic state
  • Italian: grado di libertà — independent variable required to specify the thermodynamic state
  • Macedonian: степен на слобода (stepen na sloboda) — independent variable required to specify the thermodynamic state
  • Polish: stopień swobody — independent variable required to specify the thermodynamic state
  • Russian: сте́пень свобо́ды (stépenʹ svobódy) — independent variable required to specify the thermodynamic state
  • Swedish: frihetsgrad — independent variable required to specify the thermodynamic state
  • Czech: stupeň volnosti — mathematics: unrestricted variable
  • Finnish: vapausaste — mathematics: unrestricted variable
  • Hungarian: szabadsági fok — mathematics: unrestricted variable
  • Indonesian: derajat kebebasan — mathematics: unrestricted variable
  • Italian: grado di libertà — mathematics: unrestricted variable
  • Macedonian: степен на слобода (stepen na sloboda) — mathematics: unrestricted variable
  • Polish: stopień swobody — mathematics: unrestricted variable
  • Russian: сте́пень свобо́ды (stépenʹ svobódy) — mathematics: unrestricted variable
  • Turkish: serbestlik derecesi — mathematics: unrestricted variable