# freedom

Pronunciation: say "FREE-duhm" US /ˈfɹidəm/, UK /ˈfɹiːdəm/

## Noun

1. The absence of a particular constraint, or of constraints in general; a condition of being unconstrained.
   - Simple: A situation where no rule or limit stops you from doing what you want.
   - _Quitting the corporate job brought him the freedom to paint full-time._
   - _Constitutions often list the freedoms that governments may not take away._
2. The right or privilege of unrestricted use of, or access to, something.
   - Simple: The right to use a place or thing freely, without needing permission.
   - _The residency gave the artist the freedom of the studio at any hour._
   - _Guests were granted the freedom of the estate's gardens during their stay._
3. Frankness and openness; the quality of being unreserved in speech or manner.
   - Simple: The quality of speaking or acting openly and honestly, without holding back.
   - _He addressed the elders with a freedom few others would have dared._
   - _There was an easy freedom in his manner that put strangers at ease._

## Other meanings

- (noun) Improper familiarity; behavior that violates the accepted rules of decorum.

## Origin

From Middle English "freedom," from Old English "frēodōm" (freedom, free will, emancipation, deliverance), from Proto-West Germanic "*frijadōm." It is equivalent to "free" plus "-dom," with cognates such as Dutch "vrijdom" and Norwegian "fridom."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/freedom (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).