emancipated

Everyday

1. Freed from slavery. tree →
2. Freed from rules, control or limits that kept someone down, such as old rules about what women could do. tree →
3. (law) Of a young person: legally free from their parents' control before adulthood (rare). tree →

In the lessons

Mostly a history word: enslaved people were emancipated, for example in the British Empire after 1833 and in the USA through the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 and the 13th Amendment of 1865. It is also used about women gaining rights, like the vote. In everyday speech «emancipated» can mean independent and free-thinking.

Examples

• Millions of enslaved people were emancipated in the USA in the 1860s. tree →
• The emancipated workers built their own schools and churches. tree →
• Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1863. tree →
• Women felt more emancipated after they won the right to vote. tree →
• The emancipated slaves celebrated with songs of freedom. tree →
• Our history lesson was about how the slaves were emancipated in the British colonies. tree →

Note

Verb «emancipate» (to set free), noun «emancipation». Pronounced ee-MAN-si-pay-tid. It is a formal, serious word; for a pet escaping you would just say «set free». It tells about legal or social freedom, not just getting out of a room.