free love
Noun: 1. A historical social movement advocating for sexual relationships independent of marriage, law, or formal commitment: The term refers to the doctrine that sexual intercourse should not be regulated by legal or religious institutions, but should be based on mutual consent and affection alone.
The term is primarily used in historical, sociological, or cultural discussions to describe a specific set of beliefs and practices, particularly those associated with certain 19th and early 20th-century social reform movements. - It is a compound noun and is typically used without modification (e.g., the doctrine of free love). - It often carries a historical connotation and is less commonly used to describe contemporary practices, for which terms like "open relationship" or "non-monogamy" might be used.
- The utopian community was founded on principles of free love and communal property.
- Early feminist thinkers sometimes advocated for free love as a means to achieve women's independence from oppressive marital laws.
- His writings on free love were considered scandalous in Victorian society.
- The concept is distinct from promiscuity; its historical advocates often framed it as a serious philosophical or political stance concerning personal autonomy and the abolition of what they saw as oppressive social structures.
- In modern discourse, using the term "free love" can sometimes evoke the counterculture of the 1960s, though its ideological roots are older.
- Free-love (adjective, often hyphenated when used attributively): Pertaining to the doctrine of free love.
- She was involved in free-love circles.
- Free lover (noun): A person who advocates for or practices free love.
- Unofficial union (historical, less common)
- Love without marriage (descriptive phrase)
- Marital sex
- Chastity
- Celibacy
While "free love" itself is a fixed phrase, it is conceptually linked to: - Make love, not war: A 1960s anti-war slogan that incorporated the ideals of the "free love" ethos into a broader political statement.
- sexual intercourse between individuals who are not married to one another