Emancipation
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The act of setting free from the power of another, as from slavery, subjection, dependence, or controlling influence. uncountable, usually
"Ireland, last year, was to be paradise, if that Peri, emancipation, was but sent there; now it is a wretched, degraded, oppressed country, unless the Union be dissolved! What ever will it be the year after? So much for any certainty of right in this world!"
- 2 freeing someone from the control of another; especially a parent's relinquishing authority and control over a minor child wordnet
- 3 The state of being thus set free; liberation (used, for example, of slaves from bondage, of a person from prejudices, of the mind from superstition, of a nation from tyranny or subjugation). uncountable, usually
"US President Abraham Lincoln was called the Great Emancipator after issuing the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863."
Example
More examples"She fought for the emancipation of women."
Etymology
1630, from French émancipation, from Latin ēmancipātiō. In the US, with reference to anti-slavery, abolitionism, first used in 1785 by Charles Godfrey Leland. In Britain, with reference to easing of restrictions on Catholics, in 19th century.
Related phrases
More for "emancipation"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.