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
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
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
See All Example Sentences for freewheeling
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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
See All Example Sentences for freewheeling
Cite this Entry
“Freewheeling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freewheeling. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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