1Having or characterized by an uninhibited or independent lifestyle.
the free-living Sixties
2Biology Living freely and independently, not as a parasite or attached to a substrate.
〔生〕自生的，自由生活的，独立生存的；非寄生或共生的
Example sentencesExamples
The ecological roles of spirochetes are varied; the group includes both aerobic and anaerobic species, and both free-living and parasitic forms.
The adult parasitoid is free-living, and the main task of females is finding new hosts for the next generation.
However, exceptionally warm or dry conditions may result in higher mortality rates of the free-living stages of parasites (especially for those with direct life cycles) and offset some of the effects of more rapid development rates.
Throughout the history of our field, researchers have conducted physiological and behavioral studies of free-living animals using innovative techniques, novel engineering and natural ingenuity.
Parasitoids are both parasites and free-living predators; they spend part of their lives inside another animal and part on their own.
Definition of free-living in US English:
free-living
adjectiveˌfrēˈliviNGˌfriˈlɪvɪŋ
1Having or characterized by an uninhibited or independent lifestyle.
the free-living Sixties
2Biology Living freely and independently, not as a parasite or attached to a substrate.
〔生〕自生的，自由生活的，独立生存的；非寄生或共生的
Example sentencesExamples
Parasitoids are both parasites and free-living predators; they spend part of their lives inside another animal and part on their own.
The ecological roles of spirochetes are varied; the group includes both aerobic and anaerobic species, and both free-living and parasitic forms.
The adult parasitoid is free-living, and the main task of females is finding new hosts for the next generation.
Throughout the history of our field, researchers have conducted physiological and behavioral studies of free-living animals using innovative techniques, novel engineering and natural ingenuity.
However, exceptionally warm or dry conditions may result in higher mortality rates of the free-living stages of parasites (especially for those with direct life cycles) and offset some of the effects of more rapid development rates.