free-rangingadj.
/ˌfriːˈreɪn(d)ʒɪŋ/, U.S. /ˌfriˈreɪndʒɪŋ/ 1. That has the freedom to roam or wander without restriction; characterized by such freedom. Cf. wide-ranging adj. at wide adv. Compounds b.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > aspects of travel > travel from place to place > [adjective] > with no fixed aim or wandering > inclined to or characterized by wandering
wancraunt1422
roving1566
runabout1573
wandering1582
vagrant1583
gaddy1637
outward-bound1743
gadabout1753
free-ranging1841
planeticose1849
knockabout1886
picaresque1959
1841 A. Woodrooffe Shades of Character (ed. 4) I. Introd. p. viii The exquisite, symmetral [sic], and moulded forms of the free-ranging peasants of the mountains of Greece.
1856 W. N. Hutchinson Dog Breaking (ed. 3) xii. 181 A fine, free ranging pointer,..when brought to an enclosed country, became quite subdued and dispirited.
1942 C. R. Carpenter in Jrnl. Compar. Psychol. 33 113 (title) Sexual behavior of free ranging rhesus monkeys.
1958 Observer 19 Oct. 17/4 They [sc. geese] demand an open-air, free-ranging life.
2006 Smithsonian July 60/2 They persuaded some villagers to replace their free-ranging scrub cattle..with animals that yield more milk and are not allowed to roam.
2. figurative. That considers or has recourse to a wide range of topics, possibilities, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > doing > [adjective] > of the wide range of an action
ample1485
free-ranging1879
1879 Fraser's Mag. July 3 Their literary appreciation was always varied and free ranging, as with such a staff it could not fail to be.
1948 V. Massey On being Canadian iii. 43 Free-ranging experimentation in ideas.
1963 Times 7 Feb. 8/4 The Government..are anxious that the Commons should work for a free-ranging debate.
1999 New Yorker 26 Apr. 20/3 Jaki Byard, the irrepressible, stylistically free-ranging pianist, who died in February, will be sorely missed.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1841