Meanings
- uncountableThe practice of sexual intercourse without the restraints of marriage or commitment.
Sometimes prudish and sometimes outrageous, Marilyn rationalized her behavior through free love ideas.
2012, Lois Banner, Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox, page 2623 more examples
The deceased, Philip Boyes, was, as you have heard, a writer. He was thirty-six years old, and he had published five novels and a large number of essays and articles. All these literary works were of what is sometimes called an ‘advanced’ type. They preached doctrines which may seem to some of us immoral or seditious, such as atheism, and anarchy, and what is known as free love. His private life appears to have been conducted, for some time at least, in accordance with these doctrines.
1930, Dorothy L. Sayers, Strong PoisonJoseph’s looks and handsome figure had attracted her attention. Every morning she would beckon: “Come and lie with me, love.” Joseph wanted to resist her til one day she proved too eager. Joseph cried in vain: “Please stop! I don’t believe in free love!”
1974, “Potiphar”, in Tim Rice (lyrics), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor DreamcoatFree love / Don't be a slave to your passion / I'm talkin' 'bout free love / You might get a negative reaction
1976, Jean Carn, “Free Love”, in Jean Carn
Synonyms & antonyms
nounsexual intercourse between individuals who are not married to one another
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 自由性愛 /自由性爱
- 自由性愛 /自由性爱 (zìyóu xìng'ài)practice of sexual intercourse without the restraints of marriage or commitment
Finnish vapaa rakkaus
- vapaa rakkauspractice of sexual intercourse without the restraints of marriage or commitment
German freie Liebe
- freie Liebepractice of sexual intercourse without the restraints of marriage or commitment
Polish wolna miłość
- wolna miłośćpractice of sexual intercourse without the restraints of marriage or commitment
Russian свободная любовь
- свободная любовь (svobodnaja ljubovʹ)practice of sexual intercourse without the restraints of marriage or commitment
Cite this entry
free love. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/free%20love
“free love.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/free%20love. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “free love,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/free%20love.
Source: free love on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.