as in nontraditional
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Recent Examples of free-spirited
Her role as the earnest, free-spirited teen figuring out life in Texas quickly caught fans’ attention after the series premiered in November 2024.
—
Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 8 Mar. 2026
Vida, played by Gobel, is edgy, angry and withdrawn around the younger, more free-spirited and affectionate Dodie, played by Summer Broyhill.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
The free-spirited ways of the protagonist, Ali, cause friction with her protective mother, Jersey.
—Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2026
The new series follows Deborah Wayne, the free-spirited youngest daughter of Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert, introducing a new generation navigating love, ambition, and identity within the legacy of an HBCU experience that shaped a cultural era.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2026
Combined with the more enduring boho references that continue to dominate social feeds–like Jane Birkin’s free-spirited ’60s and ’70s style and Sienna Miller’s fondness for frills in the Noughties–the boho blueprint for 2026 is looking pretty eclectic.
—Alice Cary, Vogue, 24 Feb. 2026
Corie is free-spirited, while Paul is an uptight lawyer.
—Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2026
Her older sister, Isabel Atkin, Great Britain’s first skiing Olympic medallist, was more free-spirited.
—Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2026
For many — especially free-spirited hippies, wooks, and the whole wide jam-band universe — the dogmatic style of traditional programs can be a turnoff, an impediment to accessing a path forward.
—David Manheim, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2026
Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 8 Mar. 2026
Vida, played by Gobel, is edgy, angry and withdrawn around the younger, more free-spirited and affectionate Dodie, played by Summer Broyhill.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
The free-spirited ways of the protagonist, Ali, cause friction with her protective mother, Jersey.
—Rod Stafford Hagwood, Sun Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2026
The new series follows Deborah Wayne, the free-spirited youngest daughter of Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert, introducing a new generation navigating love, ambition, and identity within the legacy of an HBCU experience that shaped a cultural era.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2026
Combined with the more enduring boho references that continue to dominate social feeds–like Jane Birkin’s free-spirited ’60s and ’70s style and Sienna Miller’s fondness for frills in the Noughties–the boho blueprint for 2026 is looking pretty eclectic.
—Alice Cary, Vogue, 24 Feb. 2026
Corie is free-spirited, while Paul is an uptight lawyer.
—Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2026
Her older sister, Isabel Atkin, Great Britain’s first skiing Olympic medallist, was more free-spirited.
—Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2026
For many — especially free-spirited hippies, wooks, and the whole wide jam-band universe — the dogmatic style of traditional programs can be a turnoff, an impediment to accessing a path forward.
—David Manheim, Rolling Stone, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for free-spirited
Adjective
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Noah Nelson, a professor at the California Institute of the Arts and founder of immersive arts publication No Proscenium, said Actors’ Equity’s recognition of the Basement’s workers is a step in the right direction as the union welcomes more nontraditional units.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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The district will use nontraditional instruction.—
Lillian Metzmeier,
Louisville Courier Journal,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The planet is the setting for an unlikely mix of sci-fi, magic, and fantasy, populated by a bizarre assortment of characters whose origins were usually determined by the out-there whims of toymakers — there really is no other way to explain Snout Spout.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
3 Mar. 2026
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While casual fans of Bessette-Kennedy’s style might imagine her wardrobe as simple above all else, the fashion insider had a taste for the out-there stuff, too.—
Jake Henry Smith,
Glamour,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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There’s an iconoclastic aspect to her as well, suggesting a challenge to the gods and nature in figuration that is ultimately rejected.—
Theo Belci,
Artforum,
27 Feb. 2026
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The film’s official synopsis is a quote attributed to the iconoclastic filmmaker.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Once ridiculed and dismissed for his nonconformist views on vaccines, nutrition, and exercise, Kennedy now leads a vast legion of followers and acolytes.—
Will Carless,
USA Today,
17 Jan. 2026
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As such, the city takes on its own distinctively sooty, nonconformist character.—
Rosalyn Wikeley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The design was by aviation legend Burt Rutan, known for his bold and often maverick creations.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN,
27 Jan. 2023
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Sinema has modeled her political approach on the maverick style of the late Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who alienated the grassroots of his party by sometimes crossing the aisle to work with Democrats.—
Time,
Time,
23 Jan. 2023
Adjective
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After the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Ali Khamenei moved from a dissident cleric to a senior government official, holding key posts in the regime including deputy defense minister.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
8 Mar. 2026
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On Thursday, Turkey voiced opposition to Iranian Kurdish dissident groups’ possible involvement in the conflict in Iran, warning of greater instability in the region.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Drunkenness, like madness, protects the messengers of heretical truth from disbelief, disdain, and retaliation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
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This heretical policy gets some support from yet another rigid convention, that of credits, which separates directors from screenwriters.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Free-spirited.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/free-spirited. Accessed 14 Mar. 2026.
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