Home

vrij

Vrij is a Dutch word meaning not bound or unrestricted. It describes a state or quality of being free from constraint, obligation, or occupation. In everyday use it can refer to a person who acts freely, a place that is unoccupied or unobstructed, or a decision made without external pressure. The word also appears in phrases such as vrij van (free from) and vrij kiezen (to choose freely). As an adverb, vrij can convey openness or spontaneity, for example in vrijuit spreken (to speak openly).

The broader concept expressed by vrij is freedom or liberty, which in Dutch is usually written vrijheid.

Etymology and cognates: vrij derives from Old Dutch and Proto-Germanic roots and is cognate with German frei

See also: vrijheid, vrijheidsbeweging, vrijheidsstrijd, vrijwillig, vrijstelling.

Vrij
is
the
adjectival
and
adverbial
form
that
underpins
many
related
terms
and
phrases
in
politics,
ethics,
and
law.
In
technical
and
legal
language,
vrij
is
found
in
compounds
like
vrijheidsgraden
(degrees
of
freedom)
and
vrijstelling
(exemption).
Institutions
that
emphasize
autonomy,
such
as
Vrije
Universiteit
Amsterdam,
use
a
related
form
of
the
word
in
their
names.
and
English
free.
The
word
is
historically
connected
to
the
broader
family
of
terms
for
liberty,
independence,
and
lack
of
bondage.