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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Proponents of the Foran Act argued that contract workers were unfree people in that their employers controlled them from the moment of their arrival in the United States. Made By History, Time, 26 Mar. 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 Labor leaders also stressed that as unfree people, contract workers did not come to the U.S. voluntarily; instead they were induced to migrate by capitalists. Made By History, Time, 26 Mar. 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 9 Jun. 2025.

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