unfree

adjective

un·​free ˌən-ˈfrē How to pronounce unfree (audio)
: not free : lacking freedom
unfree laborers
an unfree decision
unfreedom noun

Examples of unfree in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Billions of people in unfree countries like China, Russia, Iran or North Korea crave opportunities to vote in free and fair elections for their rulers. Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 15 May 2024 Landscape and interior, the poet as unfree as all other things seem to be free. Wyatt Mason, Harper's Magazine, 26 Apr. 2024 Matti and Amanda wrote that my prospective child would be similarly unfree. Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024 Both Ondimba presidencies were marred by allegations of human rights abuses, corruption and unfree elections. Justin Klawans, The Week, 4 Sep. 2023 There’s no way to remake a film this free in a way that’s unfree. Marlow Stern, Rolling Stone, 6 Aug. 2023 Majestic places like Beauvoir were sustained by the unpaid labor of unfree workers. Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 19 July 2023 As even Indy becomes the target of persecution at some point (in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), the films allude to the complex realities of scholarship in unfree societies. Petar Parvanov, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 July 2023 Promoted as a society unshackled from earthly laws, this town is in fact as unfree as possible. Matthew R. Francis, Scientific American, 26 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unfree.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unfree was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near unfree

Cite this Entry

“Unfree.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unfree. Accessed 29 May. 2024.

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