freewill

adjective free·will \ ˈfrē-ˌwil \

Updated on: 10 Nov 2017

Definition of freewill

: voluntary, spontaneous

See freewill defined for kids

Examples of freewill in a Sentence

a freewill confession of guilt made by the suspect during police interrogation
our office staff made a freewill offering for UNESCO

Recent Examples of freewill from the Web

The series’ third and final concert holds chamber works by French composers of Les Six. 4 p.m. Sunday, Southminster Presbyterian Church, 916 E. Central Road, Arlington Heights; freewill donation; 847-902-0733.

— john von rhein, chicagotribune.com, "Recommended Chicago-area classical music concerts," 1 June 2017
Freewill offerings will benefit the Georgetown Ministry Center, which aids service-resistant, chronically homeless individuals and advocates for the homeless.

— gerri marmer, Washington Post, "Religion events from around the Washington area," 5 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'freewill.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of freewill

1535

freewill Synonyms

Synonyms

conscious, deliberate, intended, knowing, purposeful, purposive, set, voluntary, willed, willful (or wilful), witting

Antonyms

nondeliberate, nonpurposive, unintentional

Related Words

designed, planned; conscious; advised, calculated, considered, measured, reasoned, studied, thoughtful, weighed; premeditated, premeditative, prepense; discretionary, elective, optional, volunteer

Near Antonyms

inadvertent, unwitting; accidental, chance, haphazard, hit-or-miss, incidental, random; aimless, desultory, purposeless; abrupt, impetuous, sudden; coerced, forced, involuntary; compulsory, mandatory, necessary, nonelective, obligatory, ordered, required; casual; extemporaneous, impromptu, impulsive, instinctive, spontaneous, unforced, unpremeditated

free will

noun

Definition of free will

1 : voluntary choice or decision

I do this of my own free will

2 : freedom of humans to make choices that are not determined by prior causes or by divine intervention

See free will defined for English-language learners

See free will defined for kids

Examples of free will in a Sentence

He argues that all humans have free will.
all of the workers at the homeless shelter are unpaid and are there of their own free will

Recent Examples of free will from the Web

However, the fact that the Movies Anywhere app is free will likely be enticing enough for some folks.

— valentina palladino, Ars Technica, "Movies Anywhere: Watch all your Amazon, Google, and iTunes titles in one place," 12 Oct. 2017
But if the method is shown to work in a broader population, vagal nerve stimulation could give people with limited consciousness at least a bit of free will and the ability to communicate.

— karen weintraub, National Geographic, "Man Partly Wakes From 15-Year Vegetative State—What It Means," 25 Sep. 2017
This feels pretty appropriate, given that the Season 1 finale saw Maeve (Thandie Newton) become the first host to exhibit true free will, while Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) finally reached consciousness.

— emma dibdin, Harper's BAZAAR, "Tessa Thompson Teases Westworld Season 2 at The Emmys," 17 Sep. 2017
Had Chinese and Soviet Communists really uncovered a machine or method to rewrite men’s minds and supplant their free will?

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "The True Story of Brainwashing and How It Shaped America," 22 May 2017
Even so, a whopping two-thirds of Americans surveyed believe that going gluten-free will improve their physical or mental health, which has inspired a sizeable portion of these folks to cut gluten from their diet.

— bryant stamford, The Courier-Journal, "Why our knee-jerk responses to diets promote obesity and poor health," 2 Nov. 2017
As the player, you're forced to decide Kara's actions - and her free will as an android - and find a way to protect Alice, whether through persuasion or by escaping Todd unharmed.

— brian manzullo, Detroit Free Press, "'Detroit: Become Human' set for spring 2018 release on PlayStation 4," 30 Oct. 2017
Augustine believed that the possibility of evil was a risk built into creation when God allowed humans to have free will.

— daniel burke, CNN, "What's missing from our 'evil' debate," 8 Oct. 2017
His wife may have supported or encouraged that decision, but the fact remains that your son was an adult and decided to cut off contact with you of his own free will.

— mallory ortberg, Slate Magazine, "I had an erotic dream about a friend. Should I tell my boyfriend?," 1 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'free will.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.