Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Free; frank; generous; noble; excellent.
  • In a free manner; under free conditions; with freedom; without hindrance, interference, or restraint: as, to move freely.
  • Without constraint, reserve, or hesitation; unreservedly; frankly; openly.
  • Without reluctance or niggardliness; willingly.
  • Liberally; unstintedly; plentifully.
  • Nobly; excellently; admirably.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adverb In a free manner; without restraint or compulsion; abundantly; gratuitously.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Free; frank.
  • adjective Generous; noble; excellent; beautiful; lovely.
  • adverb In a free manner.
  • adverb Without interference or restriction.
  • adverb Of one's own free will.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adverb in a free manner

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

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 Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

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").

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Examples

  • Good economists use the term freely because it is exactly what they are trying to help non-economists do.

    The Gender Gap of Economics, Bryan Caplan | EconLog | Library of Economics and Liberty 2009

  • I had begun to use the term freely, usually interchangeably with psyche (from Greek) and anima (from Latin).

    Archive 2005-11-01 Tusar N Mohapatra 2005

  • I had begun to use the term freely, usually interchangeably with psyche (from Greek) and anima (from Latin).

    We are all in therapy all the time Tusar N Mohapatra 2005

  • The first time he sees his mother vomiting he describes it as "stuff falling out of her mouth like spit but much thicker", but next moment he's calling it vomit and using the word freely from then on.

    unknown title 2011

  • The first time he sees his mother vomiting he describes it as "stuff falling out of her mouth like spit but much thicker", but next moment he's calling it vomit and using the word freely from then on.

    unknown title 2011

  • The first time he sees his mother vomiting he describes it as "stuff falling out of her mouth like spit but much thicker", but next moment he's calling it vomit and using the word freely from then on.

    unknown title 2011

  • The first time he sees his mother vomiting he describes it as "stuff falling out of her mouth like spit but much thicker", but next moment he's calling it vomit and using the word freely from then on.

    unknown title 2011

  • The first time he sees his mother vomiting he describes it as "stuff falling out of her mouth like spit but much thicker", but next moment he's calling it vomit and using the word freely from then on.

    unknown title 2011

  • The first time he sees his mother vomiting he describes it as "stuff falling out of her mouth like spit but much thicker", but next moment he's calling it vomit and using the word freely from then on.

    unknown title 2011

  • The first time he sees his mother vomiting he describes it as "stuff falling out of her mouth like spit but much thicker", but next moment he's calling it vomit and using the word freely from then on.

    unknown title 2011

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