free
- adjective
- /friː/
- The play is a free adaptation of a classic novel, offering fresh insights while maintaining core elements of the original story.
- a free interpretation
Examples
-
The writers of the standards may not have intended free interpretation, but the result today is clear.
Academic text (1995) -
Here's Aristotle speaking and my free translation.
-
The survey asked students to write in free form what they knew about the Civil War.
Academic text (2015) -
It's not the journalist that brings free expression, it is the soldier.
-
It's name derived at all stages from a free rendering of the note or call of the bird.
-
What we have in free verse is continual variety, continual evasion of the norm.
Fiction book (2000) -
Their liturgy is known for its exuberance, spontaneity, free expression, and corporate reverence. 70
Academic text (2015) -
The artist's latest piece is a free interpretation of traditional themes, showcasing her unique style.
-
During the workshop, participants were encouraged to write in a free manner, expressing their thoughts without constraints.
Synonyms
Not strictly organized or controlled, often a group of separate people
Not strict when following rules or texts, allowing a wider meaning
Antonyms
Idioms
To stay constantly in someone's thoughts and annoy them
Compounds
- Formal
The right to say what you think in public without the government stopping you
- Archaic
Countries with non-communist governments that opposed the Soviet Union during the Cold War
A system where private businesses compete and the market sets prices with little government control
- Literature
News media that report independently and are not controlled by the government
- Informal
An excuse that lets someone avoid rules or blame because of their position
An agreement from 1994 that made trade easier between the United States, Canada, and Mexico
- Specialized
A computer program with its code available that you can use, change, and share without paying
- Specialized
A small unstable atom or molecule that can damage body cells by reacting with them
- NSFW
Sex between people who are not married, often part of a belief in sexual freedom
- Specialized
A kick given to a team after the other team breaks a rule, taken without nearby opponents
- Specialized
An area near a port where companies store goods for export without paying customs duties
A person who supports trade between countries without import taxes or other barriers
A way of eating that avoids foods with gluten for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance
Supporting a system where private businesses compete with little government control
- Formal
A way of running an economy that lets businesses compete with little government control
- Specialized
A part of a port where businesses bring, store, and send goods without paying taxes
Armed forces and political movement led by Charles de Gaulle who resisted German occupation in World War II
A belief in religious ideas based on reason and facts rather than on tradition or leaders
- Specialized
A way of saying the first thought that comes to your mind to find hidden feelings
- Specialized
An electron not attached to an atom that can move freely and carry electricity
- Specialized
A number used in brain and computer models to measure surprise and guide learning
- Archaic
A state where laws did not allow people to own slaves before the American Civil War
- Specialized
A thin metal tongue that vibrates in a slot to make sound in harmonicas or accordions
A small bat that flies fast, eats insects, and has a tail sticking out past the skin between its wings
- Specialized
A number calculated from data that does not need the data's distribution to be known
- Specialized
A way a flower ovary holds the parts that make seeds on a central column without inner walls
- Specialized
A tiny part of the skin that sends signals about pain and temperature
- Formal
An official act that forgives someone for a crime and ends their legal punishments
- Specialized
A white blood cell that moves in the blood and eats germs or dead cells
A former 19th century US party that opposed slavery spreading into western lands
How Literal
Surface Forms
Etymology
Free in the sense of a loose translation keeps the image of 'not tied' to the exact words; a 'free' version is not bound to literal wording. So a free interpretation lets the speaker change words to keep the idea or feeling.