freely

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) enPR: frē'lē, IPA^(key): /ˈfɹiːli/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈfɹili/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːli

Etymology 1

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”).

Alternative forms

• frely (Scotland)

Adjective

freely (comparative freelier or more freely, superlative freeliest or most freely)

1. Free; frank.
2. Generous; noble; excellent; beautiful; lovely.

Derived terms

• unfreely

Etymology 2

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”).

Adverb

freely (comparative freelier or more freely, superlative freeliest or most freely)

1. In a free manner.

   Wine was flowing freely.

2. Without interference or restriction.

   talk freely

   • 1961 February, ""Balmore"", “Driving and firing modern French steam locomotives - Part One”, in Trains Illustrated, page 110:

     I found that the Chapelon steamed almost too freely, because on a strange locomotive and road one usually tends to overfire a little through a natural lack of confidence.

3. Of one's own free will.

   I will freely help you.

Derived terms

• breathe freely

Translations

in a free manner

• Bulgarian: свободно (bg) (svobodno)
• Catalan: lliurement (ca)
• Esperanto: laŭvole
• Estonian: vabalt
• French: librement (fr)
• Galician: libremente (gl)
• German: frei (de)
• Greek: ελεύθερα (el) (eléfthera)
• Italian: liberamente (it)
• Latin: spontē, līberē
• Lithuanian: laisvai
• Old English: frēoliċe
• Polish: swobodnie (pl), do woli (pl)
• Portuguese: livremente (pt)
• Russian: свобо́дно (ru) (svobódno), во́льно (ru) (vólʹno)
• Spanish: libremente (es)
• Telugu: ఉచితముగా (te) (ucitamugā)
• Ukrainian: ві́льно (uk) (vílʹno)

without interference or restriction

• Esperanto: libere
• Estonian: vabalt
• Greek: ελεύθερα (el) (eléfthera)

  Ancient: ἀνέδην (anédēn)

• Latin: līberē
• Ukrainian: ві́льно (uk) (vílʹno)

See also

• frankly
• openly
• costlessly

References

• “freely”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.