adj
Meaning 1
Free; frank.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
freely
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
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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UK: frē'lē
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UK: /ˈfɹiːli/
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US: /ˈfɹili/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -iːli
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CMU ARPABET: F R IY1 L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
Generous; noble; excellent; beautiful; lovely.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adv
Meaning 3
In a free manner.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- Wine was flowing freely.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adv
Meaning 4
Without interference or restriction.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- talk freely
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adv
Meaning 5
Of one's own free will.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- I will freely help you.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adverb
Meaning 6
in a free manner
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the painting featured freely brushed strokes
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Middle English frely, freelich, from Old English frēolīc (“free, freeborn, glorious, stately, magnificent, noble, beautiful, charming”), equivalent to free + -ly. Compare Middle Low German vrilik, vrigelik (“free”), Middle High German vrīlich (“free”).
From Middle English frely, freliche, from Old English frēolīċe (“freely, readily, as a festival”), equivalent to free + -ly. Compare Dutch vrijelijk (“freely”), German freilich (“certainly, of course”).
Across languages
Translations
28 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: свободно (svobodno) — in a free manner
- Catalan: lliurement — in a free manner
- Esperanto: laŭvole — in a free manner
- Estonian: vabalt — in a free manner
- French: librement — in a free manner
- Galician: libremente — in a free manner
- German: frei — in a free manner
- Greek: ελεύθερα (eléfthera) — in a free manner
- Italian: liberamente — in a free manner
- Latin: spontē — in a free manner
- Latin: līberē — in a free manner
- Lithuanian: laisvai — in a free manner
- Old English: frēoliċe — in a free manner
- Polish: swobodnie — in a free manner
- Polish: do woli — in a free manner
- Portuguese: livremente — in a free manner
- Russian: свобо́дно (svobódno) — in a free manner
- Russian: во́льно (vólʹno) — in a free manner
- Spanish: libremente — in a free manner
- Telugu: ఉచితముగా (ucitamugā) — in a free manner
- Ukrainian: ві́льно (vílʹno) — in a free manner
- Catalan: lliurement — without interference or restriction
- Esperanto: libere — without interference or restriction
- Estonian: vabalt — without interference or restriction
- Greek: ελεύθερα (eléfthera) — without interference or restriction
- Ancient Greek: ἀνέδην (anédēn) — without interference or restriction
- Latin: līberē — without interference or restriction
- Ukrainian: ві́льно (vílʹno) — without interference or restriction
Real reading context