value-free

adjective

val·​ue-free ˈval-(ˌ)yü-ˈfrē How to pronounce value-free (audio)
: making or having no value judgments
value-free distinctions
value-free instruction

Examples of value-free in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Real people are living a vision of the economy as a place of moral action and accountability, rather than a value-free, self-regulating zone of unalterable laws. — Nick Romeo, The New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2024 Geopolitical competition will grow in an increasingly value-free international context. — Robin Niblett, Foreign Affairs, 30 Mar. 2021 And that process must begin by creating the sort of roster vacancies Vancouver’s younger players can aspire to fill, or various value-free agents the Canucks may target when the market opens next week might fill — and in so doing, perhaps, add value themselves to Vancouver’s portfolio. — Thomas Drance, New York Times, 23 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of value-free was in 1916

Rhymes for value-free

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Browse Nearby Words

value for money
value-free
value judgment
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Value-free.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/value-free. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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