free association
nounDefinition of free association
1a
: the expression (as by speaking or writing) of the content of consciousness without censorship as an aid in gaining access to unconscious processes especially in psychoanalysis
b
: the reporting of the first thought that comes to mind in response to a given stimulus (such as a word)
2
: an idea or image elicited by free association
3
: a method using free association
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Other Words from free association
free-associate
\ ˌfrē-ə-ˈsō-sē-ˌāt 
, -shē- \
intransitive verb
, -shē- \
intransitive verb
free-associative
\ -sē-ˌā-tiv
, -shē-ˌā- -shə-tiv \
adjective
, -shē-ˌā- -shə-tiv \
adjective
Examples of free association in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The state-court case argues that the policy violates students’ right to free association. — Erin Hawley, National Review, "Harvard’s Ban on Single-Sex Organizations Hurts Women," 19 Aug. 2019 Something in human nature craves more than a sphere of rights, more than promises of nice things and free association. — Nick Burns, The New Republic, "In Defense of Sparta," 7 Aug. 2019 His vision of the disparate worlds that the recent targets of his ire come from is uniformly dystopian—a free association of skin color with filth and crime. — Jelani Cobb, The New Yorker, "Donald Trump, Elijah Cummings, and the Definition of a Rodent," 29 July 2019 Gibson is credited with reimagining the modern photo book, transforming it from its more illustrative, thematic approach to a deeply personal, artistic form where the sequence is based on free association rather than chronology or narrative. — The New York Review of Books, "Carole Naggar," 25 May 2019 Something in human nature craves more than a sphere of rights, more than promises of nice things and free association. — Nick Burns, The New Republic, "In Defense of Sparta," 7 Aug. 2019 Word games and free association are unusual styles of texting, Jesse Barron, a reporter who covered the case for Esquire, says in the film. — Sonia Rao, Washington Post, "Michelle Carter encouraged her boyfriend to kill himself. This filmmaker tried to figure out why.," 10 July 2019 The second was that religious liberty and free association were at grave legal risk. — David French, National Review, "Against Conservative Cultural Defeatism," 4 June 2019 Gibson is credited with reimagining the modern photo book, transforming it from its more illustrative, thematic approach to a deeply personal, artistic form where the sequence is based on free association rather than chronology or narrative. — The New York Review of Books, "Carole Naggar," 25 May 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'free association.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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