Meaning & use
free-spirited
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivecomparableapproving
Independent and relaxed in the way you live, not worried about rules or what other people expect.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after be: a free-spirited artist, she is free-spirited.
Patterns
- a free-spirited person
Her free-spirited aunt travels the world with only a backpack.
He was a free-spirited child who loved climbing trees.
The band's free-spirited style charmed the audience.
Word forms
| comparative | more free-spirited |
|---|---|
| superlative | most free-spirited |
Common combinations
- a free-spirited young woman
- She was a free-spirited young woman.
- free-spirited and adventurous
- The couple were free-spirited and adventurous.
- a free-spirited approach
- He took a free-spirited approach to life.
- free-spirited artist
- A free-spirited artist painted the mural.
Synonyms and how they differ
- easygoing
- This stresses a calm temperament, while free-spirited stresses independence.
- unconventional
- This is more neutral and focuses on being different from the norm.
- carefree
- This stresses lack of worry, not independence.
- bohemian
- This suggests an artistic, unusual lifestyle.
Opposites
Word family
- free spirit noun
- an independent, unconventional person
- free adjective
- not restricted
- spirit noun
- the mind or character
Commonly confused: free-spirited or free-willed?
free-spirited vs free-willed
Free-willed means acting by one's own choice, while free-spirited describes a relaxed, unconventional personality.
Practice
Which person would you most likely describe as free-spirited?
Choose one answer.
A free-spirited person acts independently and without fixed plans. The other people value rules, caution or routine.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “free-spirited”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.