Meanings
nounfree indirect speech (uncountable)
- uncountablegrammarThe literary device of writing a character's first-person thoughts in the voice of the third-person narrator.
Synonyms: free indirect discourse, free indirect style
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe literary device of writing a character's first-person thoughts in the voice of the third-person narrator.
Translations
Danish dækket direkte tale
- dækket direkte taleindirect speech imitating direct speech
French discours indirect libre
- discours indirect libreindirect speech imitating direct speech
Japanese 自由間接話法
- 自由間接話法 (jiyū kansetsu wahō)indirect speech imitating direct speech
Korean 자유 간접 화법
- 자유 간접 화법 (jayu ganjeop hwabeop)indirect speech imitating direct speech
Polish mowa pozornie zależna
- mowa pozornie zależnaindirect speech imitating direct speech
Portuguese discurso indireto livre
- discurso indireto livreindirect speech imitating direct speech
Cite this entry
APA
free indirect speech. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/free%20indirect%20speech
MLA
“free indirect speech.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/free%20indirect%20speech. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “free indirect speech,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/free%20indirect%20speech.
Source: free indirect speech on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.