free-floating
adjective
free-float·ing
ˈfrē-ˈflō-tiŋ 
1
a
: floating freely
free-floating vegetation
b
: lacking specific attachment, direction, or purpose
free-floating ideas
2
: felt as an emotion without apparent cause
free-floating anxiety
Examples of free-floating in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
It was illustrated with a cross-section of a gooey candy bar; a dollop of beige cream, spiralling up into a wavelike crest; and a few free-floating hazelnuts and leaves.
—
Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
But without the grounding ballast of a well-articulated sense of self, these jokes are free-floating concepts in search of the context that actually makes sitcom quips memorable.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 28 May 2025
Yet, as wondrously beautiful as these floating mini hot air balloon launches are, the reality is there’s only a fine line — and a gust of wind — that can turn a sky lantern into a free-floating Molotov cocktail.
—Edwin Goei, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025
That Jia could make anything out of that flotsam and jetsam is astonishing, but his ability to not only recreate those time frames but craft all of it into a woozy, free-floating memory piece is miraculous.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for free-floating
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Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 2 June 2025
But without the grounding ballast of a well-articulated sense of self, these jokes are free-floating concepts in search of the context that actually makes sitcom quips memorable.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 28 May 2025
Yet, as wondrously beautiful as these floating mini hot air balloon launches are, the reality is there’s only a fine line — and a gust of wind — that can turn a sky lantern into a free-floating Molotov cocktail.
—Edwin Goei, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025
That Jia could make anything out of that flotsam and jetsam is astonishing, but his ability to not only recreate those time frames but craft all of it into a woozy, free-floating memory piece is miraculous.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for free-floating
Cite this Entry
“Free-floating.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free-floating. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
free-floating
adjective
free-float·ing
ˈfrē-ˈflōt-iŋ
: felt as an emotion without apparent cause
free-floating anxiety
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