1
: voluntary choice or decision
I do this of my own free will
2
: freedom of humans to make choices that are not determined by prior causes or by divine intervention
Synonyms
Examples of freewill in a Sentence
Adjective
a freewill confession of guilt made by the suspect during police interrogation
our office staff made a freewill offering for UNESCO
Noun
He argues that all humans have free will.
all of the workers at the homeless shelter are unpaid and are there of their own free will
Recent Examples on the Web
Dallas News, 30 Nov. 2022
All, too, will take place without a live audience and include links for freewill donations to nonprofits supporting Cleveland-area musicians and musical programs during coronavirus.
—Zachary Lewis, cleveland, 2 June 2020
Jen Chaney, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2024
While hardened reductionists have argued that there can be no free will because all causation ultimately arises from interactions of atoms and molecules, free will may be rescued by the formalism of higher-level causation.
—Philip Ball, WIRED, 21 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for freewill 
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Adjective
Coach for Men captures the never-resting energy of the city that never sleeps and the freewill spontaneity of all those who call it home.
—Dallas News, 30 Nov. 2022
All, too, will take place without a live audience and include links for freewill donations to nonprofits supporting Cleveland-area musicians and musical programs during coronavirus.
—Zachary Lewis, cleveland, 2 June 2020
Noun
That conflict between predestined commitment and free will lies at the heart of House of the Dragon, a show in which people continue walking down dangerous paths and, unlike Alicent, can’t fathom an exit strategy because of prophecies and traditions that dictate their actions.
—Jen Chaney, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2024
While hardened reductionists have argued that there can be no free will because all causation ultimately arises from interactions of atoms and molecules, free will may be rescued by the formalism of higher-level causation.
—Philip Ball, WIRED, 21 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for freewill
Dictionary Entries Near freewill
Cite this Entry
“Freewill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/freewill. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.
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