free form

¹ American  

noun

1. a shape having an irregular contour, chiefly used in nonrepresentational art and industrial design.

2. Linguistics. a linguistic form that can occur by itself, as fire, book, or run.

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free-form ² American  

[free-fawrm, free-fawrm] / ˈfriˌfɔrm, ˈfriˈfɔrm /

Or freeform

adjective

1. characterized by free form.

   free-form sculpture.

2. not organized or planned in a conventional way.

   a free-form international conglomerate.

3. encouraged to function or evolve without advance planning; spontaneous.

   free-form management.

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adverb

1. without restrictions or preconceptions.

   The children were allowed to paint free-form.

free form British  

noun

1. an irregular flowing shape, often used in industrial or fabric design

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adjective

1. freely flowing, spontaneous

Etymology

Origin of free form¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Origin of free-form²

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

Slab pies and galettes are rustic and free form, but that doesn't mean they're ugly.

From Salon • Oct. 3, 2021

“It was very free form and very free thinking,” Chase adds.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2019

Many were drawn to slam poetry’s free form, which rewards wordplay and can be less intimidating for those with no formal education.

From Washington Post • Dec. 28, 2018

For one moment, there is only the molten dawn sun lighting the sky a poet red and the air racing cooly past him as he drops in free form flight.

From Slate • Feb. 19, 2018

This free form of government, this popular assembly, the common council held for the common good,—where have we contemplated its earliest models?

From The Great Speeches and Orations of Daniel Webster With an Essay on Daniel Webster as a Master of English Style by Webster, Daniel