as in dependent
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Recent Examples of unfree
Until a few years ago, millions of Iranians repeatedly voted in the country’s mostly unfree elections, hoping that regime insiders could pave a path for reform.
—
Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
His elections in 2018 and 2024 were widely denounced as fraudulent or unfree by the U.S., the European Union and many Latin American governments.
—Paul Vallas, Twin Cities, 6 Jan. 2026
His brother, god of hunting and tracking, is caught in the cruel paradox of parole — somehow still unfree and searching for liberty and purpose, yearning for the seeming escape of his own car on the open road, always in danger of being hunted down himself.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025
Their robust negations appeared to put both them and their American hosts on the right side of history, compared with writers in the unfree world of authoritarian regimes, who seemed to have been permanently tainted by lies, equivocations, and evasions.
—Pankaj Mishra, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unfree
Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 20 Jan. 2026
His elections in 2018 and 2024 were widely denounced as fraudulent or unfree by the U.S., the European Union and many Latin American governments.
—Paul Vallas, Twin Cities, 6 Jan. 2026
His brother, god of hunting and tracking, is caught in the cruel paradox of parole — somehow still unfree and searching for liberty and purpose, yearning for the seeming escape of his own car on the open road, always in danger of being hunted down himself.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025
Their robust negations appeared to put both them and their American hosts on the right side of history, compared with writers in the unfree world of authoritarian regimes, who seemed to have been permanently tainted by lies, equivocations, and evasions.
—Pankaj Mishra, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for unfree
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unfree
Adjective
-
Much of Boston’s tourism scene—which is most visitors’ first exposure to the state of Massachusetts—is dependent on folks like Lepage to keep New England’s centuries-old history relevant for a modern-day audience.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
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As Hafley previously said, the requirements of the position are down dependent and based solely on his response, Johnson could fit the bill.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
4 June 2026
Adjective
-
This has limited transparency and collaboration, restricted direct access to subject-matter experts, and impaired the commission’s ability to operate as an independent fiduciary body.—
Helen I. Bennett,
Hartford Courant,
8 June 2026
-
The historic overturning of precedent effectively stripped HHS and its sub-agencies of the power to independently interpret statutes, including human subject protections regulations.—
Megan Molteni,
STAT,
5 June 2026
Adjective
-
Burnout now consumes American physicians, who are overworked, nonautonomous and adrift without help.—
Aaron Rothstein,
wsj.com,
3 Apr. 2023
-
The absence of access for nonautonomous conferences like the American Athletic Conference has also been a point of contention.—
Matt Murschel,
orlandosentinel.com,
14 May 2021
Adjective
-
Merchants in fine suits rode in carriages or on sedan chairs while enslaved people lugging carts and crates wore dirty, threadbare clothing and could be publicly whipped or burned to death for misbehavior.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
9 June 2026
-
Wrong As Levenson tells it, in the early 18th century, a couple of forward-thinking Westerners learned about inoculations against smallpox from Ottoman women and an enslaved African.—
Diana Gitig,
ArsTechnica,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unfree.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unfree. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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