Meaning & use
free from error
Last updated
Meanings
phrase
Containing no mistakes or faults; completely correct.
Grammar: Follows the verb be: the data is free from error. It describes the thing itself, not a person.
Patterns
- be free from error
- make something free from error
The editors checked the figures twice to make sure the final report was free from error.
No translation is completely free from error, but this one is very close.
phraseformal
Not affected by a mistake or by wrong thinking.
Grammar: Used mostly about decisions, judgments, or records: the judgment was free from error.
Patterns
- be free from error
- remain free from error
The judge's decision was free from error and was upheld on appeal.
We aim to keep our records free from error at all times.
Common combinations
- completely free from error
- The proof was completely free from error.
- free from error and bias
- The study was designed to be free from error and bias.
- remain free from error
- The database must remain free from error after every update.
Synonyms and how they differ
- error-free
- More common and less formal; it goes before a noun, as in an error-free report.
- accurate
- Focuses on being correct in detail; it can describe a person or a measurement, while 'free from error' describes the thing.
- flawless
- Stronger and often about appearance or performance; it suggests nothing at all is wrong.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: free from error or free of error?
free from error vs free of error
Also correct and very close in meaning; 'free from' is more common when talking about mistakes.
Practice
The auditors wanted to confirm that the accounts were ______ error.
Choose one answer.
'Free from error' is the fixed phrase meaning without mistakes. 'Free of charge' means costing nothing, and 'free for' or 'free with' do not fit this meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “free from error”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.