free-living
adjective
free-liv·ing
ˈfrē-ˈli-viŋ 
1
: marked by more than usual freedom in the gratification of appetites
2
a
: not fixed to the substrate but capable of motility
a free-living protozoan
b
: being metabolically independent : neither parasitic nor symbiotic
a free-living adult hairworm
Examples of free-living in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The free-living, hard-drinking Brett uses wit and jollity to mask her inner desperation.
—
Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 June 2025
Dr Somers currently studies the drivers of variation in the gut microbiome of wild free-living songbirds.
—Grrlscientist, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
It’s caused by the free-living ameba, Naegleria fowleri, the report said.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 June 2025
More than 80 percent of the world’s dogs are free-living animals that fend for themselves and are not under human control, Dr. Lord said.
—Emily Anthes, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2025
So, the evolution of multicellularity is a way of increasing biological complexity by taking what were formerly free-living individuals and turning them into parts of a new kind of individual: a multicellular organism.
—Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 20 Mar. 2025
While previous research had shown some free-living corals had the ability to move when exposed to light or sunlight, the finer details of how the creatures navigate their surroundings remained unknown because of poor resolution imaging systems.
—Julianna Bragg, CNN, 31 Jan. 2025
Mitochondria, the energy factories in your cells, were once free-living bacteria.
—Molly Herring, WIRED, 26 Jan. 2025
However, if the bacteria are free-living, they could be involved in the body’s processes beyond the brain.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, WIRED, 5 Jan. 2025
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Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 June 2025
Dr Somers currently studies the drivers of variation in the gut microbiome of wild free-living songbirds.
—Grrlscientist, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
It’s caused by the free-living ameba, Naegleria fowleri, the report said.
—Jennifer Rodriguez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 June 2025
More than 80 percent of the world’s dogs are free-living animals that fend for themselves and are not under human control, Dr. Lord said.
—Emily Anthes, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2025
So, the evolution of multicellularity is a way of increasing biological complexity by taking what were formerly free-living individuals and turning them into parts of a new kind of individual: a multicellular organism.
—Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 20 Mar. 2025
While previous research had shown some free-living corals had the ability to move when exposed to light or sunlight, the finer details of how the creatures navigate their surroundings remained unknown because of poor resolution imaging systems.
—Julianna Bragg, CNN, 31 Jan. 2025
Mitochondria, the energy factories in your cells, were once free-living bacteria.
—Molly Herring, WIRED, 26 Jan. 2025
However, if the bacteria are free-living, they could be involved in the body’s processes beyond the brain.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, WIRED, 5 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Free-living.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/free-living. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
free-living
adjective
free-liv·ing
ˈfrē-ˈliv-iŋ
1
: not fixed to the substrate but capable of motility
a free-living protozoan
2
: being metabolically independent : neither parasitic nor symbiotic
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