free-living

adjective

Of an organism: living independently of other organisms rather than as part of a symbiotic or parasitic relationship, either as a life stage (for example, in some parasites) or for the organism's entire lifespan.

Similar
nonparasiticnonsymbioticindependent
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

adjectivefree-living (not comparable)
  1. not comparablebiologyOf an organism: living independently of other organisms rather than as part of a symbiotic or parasitic relationship, either as a life stage (for example, in some parasites) or for the organism's entire lifespan.
  2. not comparableUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: see free, living.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivenot parasitic on another organism

Similar
nonparasiticnonsymbioticindependent
Also see
nonparasiticnonsymbiotic

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Cite this entry
APA

free-living. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/free-living

MLA

“free-living.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/free-living. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “free-living,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/free-living.

Source: free-living on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.