freewheeling

adjective

free·​wheel·​ing ˌfrē-ˈ(h)wē-liŋ 

: free and loose in form or manner: such as

a

: heedless of social norms or niceties

the raider style of his freewheeling father

—Garry Wills

b

: not repressed or restrained

freewheeling promiscuity

a freewheeling competitive spirit

c

: not bound by formal rules, procedures, or guidelines

a freewheeling investigation

d

: loose and undisciplined : not defensive

a freewheeling style of hockey

freewheelingly adverb

Synonyms

• casual
• footloose
• nonchalant

Examples of freewheeling in a Sentence

She led a freewheeling life in the city.

James Bond has long been the model of the freewheeling hero who encounters danger and excitement in every corner of the globe.

Recent Examples on the Web

The podcast format gives Tolbert a more freewheeling forum than radio. —Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025

There’s no legal argument to be made against this turn away from fact-checking and towards a more freewheeling, more disinformation-laden, more confusing, more hateful and less illuminating approach. —New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 13 Jan. 2025

Parents who have immigrated to Norway sometimes struggle to accept the freewheeling Norwegian approach to child care, expecting more academics or structure, even for their youngest. —Jackie Mader, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Oct. 2024

Such a system would admittedly be less global than today’s more freewheeling Internet. —Richard A. Clarke, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1931, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for freewheeling

• annealing
• appealing
• concealing
• congealing
• repealing
• revealing
• unfeeling
• ceiling
• dealing
• feeling
• healing
• heeling

Kids Definition

freewheeling

adjective

free·​wheel·​ing -ˈhwē(ə)l-iŋ 

-ˈwē(ə)l-iŋ

: free and loose in form or manner

especially : not held back by rules, duties, or worries

led a freewheeling life in the city