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freeloader

freeloader

27 6.1
A person who takes help or gifts without giving anything back
  • noun
  • /ˈfriˌloʊdər/
  • Offensive
translation icon : gorrón
  • I felt as if I'd paid my dues, and now freeloaders were driving in for what I'd earned.
  • a bunch of freeloaders

There's reciprocity, but then you have, if you look at that on, on a large enough sample, what you find is then you get the freeloader problem.

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Examples

  • Who would have guessed that the Greatest Generation would be followed by the Freeloader Generation?

    Blog text (15)
  • Lil, you know I'm not a freeloader, right?

  • And here we are with this freeloader.

  • You guys are freeloaders... and you eat my food, too?!

  • - And you're okay with having this freeloader just hanging around?

  • No, he's calling you a freeloader.

  • Let's cut government spending to the bone and make all the freeloaders and government "workers" get real jobs.

    Blog text (8)
  • When the money finally runs out, and it will, the freeloaders will either become productive citizens or leave.

    Blog text (7)
  • What a bunch of wealthy freeloaders.

  • He's always coming over and eating our food without contributing; he's such a freeloader.

Synonyms

parasite
vsfreeloader
  • Offensive
60 5.9

A person who lives off others and gives nothing in return

is a general label for someone who uses generosity without reciprocating
user
vsfreeloader
  • Offensive
19 8.4

A person who takes advantage of others for their own benefit

is about taking others' generosity without returning help or value
moocher
vsfreeloader
  • Offensive
14 8.3

A person who often gets food or money without paying

is broader, applying to any taking of generosity without giving back
leech
vsfreeloader
  • Offensive
9 8.1

A person who takes advantage of others and gives nothing in return

is broader, focusing on taking advantage of kindness rather than active harm
mooch
vsfreeloader
  • Offensive
7 8.8

A person who often gets free food or money from others without paying

is the neutral term for someone who takes generosity without reciprocation
exploiter
vsfreeloader
5 7.1

A person who uses others selfishly to get money or power

is similar but centers on benefiting from generosity without giving anything
sponge
vsfreeloader
  • Offensive
5 7.2

A person who takes others' food or help without giving back

focuses more on taking freely rather than the persistent seeking behaviour
scrounger
vsfreeloader
  • Offensive
1 7.6

A person who gets food or money from others without paying

is specifically about exploiting generosity without offering anything in return
schnorrer
vsfreeloader
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who often asks others for money or food without giving anything back

is more general, covering any person who takes without giving back
sponger
vsfreeloader
  • Offensive
1 8.2

A person who depends on others without giving anything back

is a simpler, more general term for that same one-sided taking
cadger
vsfreeloader
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who often gets free food or money from others without paying

is broader, not limited to food or small sums
shnorrer
vsfreeloader
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who always asks for free things and never gives anything back

is the general idea of taking advantage of generosity without reciprocation
imposer
vsfreeloader
  • Offensive
7.9

A person who takes advantage of others' kindness without giving anything back

is the general label for a person who refuses to reciprocate generosity
taker-backer
vsfreeloader
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who takes help or credit but does not help others

focuses on accepting generosity without giving back rather than habit alone
bogard
vsfreeloader
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who takes or keeps things that should be shared

is about accepting generosity without reciprocation rather than hoarding shared items

Antonyms

56 1.0

A person who offers money or help to others without asking for anything back

How Exploitative

mooch
  • Offensive
7 8.8
freeloader
  • Offensive
27 6.1
scrounger
  • Offensive
1 7.6

Surface Forms

freeloader singular
freeloaders plural

Morphology

freeloader = freeload (transparent) = free + load + er

Derived from the verb 'freeload' plus the agentive suffix '-er', the role 'one who freeloads' is directly predictable.

Etymology

Freeloader comes from free ('no cost') plus load ('to take or carry') and the ending -er ('person who does something'). Think of someone who 'loads' their plate, their time, or their life with other people's food or help for 'free' — that's why a freeloader is a person who takes advantage of others and gives nothing back.