Freedom and Liberty Are Not Quite Twins
Freedom is the state of being able to act without constraint. English keeps a second word for the same idea, and the difference is worth knowing.
Freedom is the condition of not being restrained: freedom of speech, freedom to leave, freedom from fear. English has two words for this because it has two ancestries. *Freedom* is Germanic and homely; *liberty* is Latin and formal. Statues, laws and constitutions prefer liberty; ordinary speech prefers freedom.
- The state of not being restrained. *Freedom of movement.*
- The right to do something. *Freedom to choose.*
- Release from something unpleasant. *Freedom from pain.*
- An honorary right. *The freedom of the city.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | freedom | Personal freedom. |
| Plural | freedoms | Civil freedoms. |
| Adjective | free | Free to go. |
| Verb | free | Free the hostages. |
| Related | liberty | At liberty. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Freedom of expression is protected here.Freedom of names the area.
- They wanted freedom from constant supervision.Freedom from names what is escaped.
- He was given the freedom of the city.An honour, now purely ceremonial.
Freedom or liberty?
- Freedom — the everyday Germanic word
- Liberty — the formal Latin one, common in law and politics
- Independence — freedom from another country's control
- Autonomy — the ability to govern yourself
- Licence — freedom taken beyond what is reasonable
From Old English *freodom*, from *free* plus *-dom*, the ending that makes a state or condition — the same *-dom* in *kingdom*, *wisdom* and *boredom*.
Freedom or liberty?
They overlap almost entirely. Liberty is preferred in legal and political phrases; freedom is the ordinary word.
What does *-dom* mean?
A state, condition or domain. Kingdom is the realm of a king; freedom is the state of being free.