free-living

Thân thiện

A free-living flatworm glides through a freshwater pond.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Not parasitic on another organism: Describes an organism that lives independently and does not rely on another organism (a host) for its survival, nutrition, or habitat. It is the opposite of being parasitic.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:
  • Most plants are free-living organisms, producing their own food through photosynthesis.
  • Unlike tapeworms, earthworms are free-living creatures found in the soil.
  • The study compared the genomes of parasitic and free-living nematodes.

Advanced Usage

• In ecology/biology: The term is primarily used in scientific contexts to describe the life mode of an organism.
  • The transition from a free-living to a parasitic lifestyle is a major evolutionary step.

Variants and Related Words

• Free-living (hyphenated form): The standard adjectival form.
• Free living (open form, less common): Sometimes used, especially in more general contexts.
• Non-parasitic: A direct synonym often used in scientific literature.
• Independent: A more general term that can apply in biological and non-biological contexts.

Synonyms

• Non-parasitic
• Independent
• Autonomous (in a biological sense)
• Self-sufficient

Antonyms

• Parasitic
• Dependent
• Symbiotic (specifically in a parasitic sense, though symbiosis can be mutualistic)

Học thuật

Adjective

1. not parasitic on another organism

Từ đồng nghĩa

• nonparasitic
• nonsymbiotic