Free-Freely | Commonly Confused Words
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Free vs. Freely

Free

/friː/
Not under the control or in the power of another; able to act or be done as one wishes.

Examples:

Entrance to the museum is free.Didst thou behold how man is freed from her?She pushes off me freeing my arms.

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Freely

/ˈfriːli/
Without restriction or limitation; in an unrestrained manner

Examples:

They all mingled too freely."A better answer, and (I freely acknowledge) my meaning.Eustace started to giggle pretty freely.

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Ways to tell them apart:

etymology
  • Free can be both an adjective and an adverb, while freely is only an adverb.
  • You use free to describe something without cost or restriction.
  • Freely is used when referring to actions done without constraints.
  • Think of free as describing the state of something, while freely describes the manner of doing something.
  • Freely often implies an abundance or openness, whereas free indicates no charge or lack of bindings.
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