Suffix · forms adjectives
without; lacking; exempt from; not affected by
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
-free is one of the most productive compound-forming elements in modern English. It creates adjectives meaning "without something" or "exempt from something." While "carefree" is centuries old, new -free compounds appear constantly in marketing, journalism, and everyday speech: sugar-free, gluten-free, risk-free, debt-free. The pattern is fully productive — any noun can become the base.
-free
Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
The base noun always comes first: sugar-free, stress-free, pain-free. The pattern is always BASE + free, never free + BASE. Spanish speakers sometimes reverse the order because "libre de azúcar" puts the adjective first.
"He is free" = he is not in prison. "He is carefree" = he has no worries. In compounds, -free always means "without X," not "at liberty." "Tax-free" means "exempt from tax," not "taxes that are free of charge."
A trick to remember it
-free is one of the most productive compound patterns in contemporary English. You can create new compounds on the fly and they will be immediately understood: "drama-free," "screen-free," "lecture-free." When something is presented as the absence of a negative quality, -free compounds make the promise feel lighter and more positive. Notice that marketers use this constantly: sugar-free, fat-free, gluten-free, risk-free.
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
Which compound correctly uses the -free pattern?
Exercise 3 · Form the word
The suffix -free without; lacking; exempt from; not affected by In Spanish it usually maps to libre de / sin.
"care" becomes "carefree". It is a typical example of the -free suffix.
Turns a noun into an adjective meaning "without": care becomes careless.
Forms adjectives meaning "resistant to" or "that cannot be penetrated or damaged by": bulletproof, waterproof, foolproof, soundproof, fireproof, childproof.
From Old English "-weard" (direction): forms adverbs and adjectives of direction or tendency. Inward, outward, forward, wayward, awkward.
-tion, -ness, -ful, -ly, -able... every ending you need to understand thousands of words at once.