Meaning & use
feeling liberated
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
Experiencing a strong sense of freedom after something difficult or limiting has ended.
Grammar: Used after the verb be or feel: She felt liberated after the exam.
Patterns
- feel liberated
- be/feel liberated from something
- be/feel liberated by something
After she handed in her notice, she felt liberated for the first time in years.
He described feeling liberated once he finally told his family the truth.
They came back from the trip feeling liberated and full of new ideas.
phrasefixed phrase
Free from an old custom, rule, or way of thinking that used to control you.
Grammar: Often followed by from plus the thing you escaped: feeling liberated from tradition.
Patterns
- feeling liberated from something
- feeling liberated from the past
Many young people say they are feeling liberated from the expectations of their parents.
The new law left women feeling liberated from an unfair rule.
She was feeling liberated from the guilt she had carried for so long.
Common combinations
- feel liberated from something
- He felt liberated from the debt that had ruled his life.
- feel liberated by something
- She felt liberated by the decision to move abroad.
- suddenly feel liberated
- I suddenly felt liberated when the meeting was cancelled.
- truly liberated
- After the divorce she seemed truly liberated.
- a liberated feeling
- There was a liberated feeling in the room after the announcement.
Synonyms and how they differ
- free
- Free is the plain, general word for having no limits; feeling liberated stresses the emotional relief of escaping something.
- unburdened
- Unburdened means a weight has been lifted off you, but it says nothing about gaining freedom, which is the point of feeling liberated.
- emancipated
- Emancipated is more formal and legal, often about people gaining rights; feeling liberated is personal and emotional.
Opposites
Word family
- liberate verb
- to set someone free from control or prison
- liberation noun
- the act of setting someone free, or the state of being free
- liberator noun
- a person who frees others
- liberating adjective
- making you feel free and relieved
Commonly confused: feeling liberated or liberal?
feeling liberated vs liberal
Liberal describes open-minded or generous political views; liberated is about being free from control. They look similar but mean very different things.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrase takes from to name what you escaped, so "liberated from" is right. "Liberated to" and "liberated of" are not used in this pattern, and "felt liberating" describes something that frees others, not your own feeling.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “feeling liberated”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.