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free-living

[ free-liv-ing ]

/ ˈfriˈlɪv ɪŋ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR free-living ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

following a way of life in which one freely indulges the appetites, desires, etc.

Biology. noting an organism that is neither parasitic, symbiotic, nor sessile.

Origin of free-living

First recorded in 1810–20

Words nearby free-living

free-floating anxiety, free-for-all, free-form, free-handed, free-hearted, free-living, free-machining, free-range, free-range parenting, free-running, free-select

Example sentences from the Web for free-living

We see, then, that the origin of all these free-living cells can be traced back to the very earliest of the Metazoa.

The Origin of Vertebrates |Walter Holbrook Gaskell
Temperature responses in free-living amphibians and reptiles of northeastern Kansas.

Natural History of the Racer Coluber constrictor |Henry S. Fitch
The most common arthropods in the nests were mites (parasitic, predaceous, and free-living) and springtails.

Natural History of the Prairie Vole (Mammalian Genus Microtus) |E. W. Jameson
Of these free-living lawyers, George Jeffreys was a conspicuous leader.

A Book About Lawyers |John Cordy Jeaffreson

Hence they behave within the plant-cell just like the free-living chromacea in the water.

The Wonders of Life |Ernst Haeckel

British Dictionary definitions for free-living

free-living

adjective

given to ready indulgence of the appetites

(of animals and plants) not parasitic; existing independently

Derived forms of free-living

free-liver, noun