unfree

adjective

un·​free ˌən-ˈfrē How to pronounce unfree (audio)
: not free : lacking freedom
unfree laborers
an unfree decision
unfreedom noun

Examples of unfree in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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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 What does liberty mean and how can it be lived in an unfree world? Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2025 Some opposition figures pointed to future elections as a way to overturn the dictatorship, but the Trump regime had previously issued edicts that would make elections unfair and unfree. Joe Mathews, Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unfree

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unfree was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Unfree.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unfree. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.

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