FREETHINKER Synonyms: 38 Similar and Opposite Words

freethinker

noun

Definition of freethinker

as in kook

a person who forms his or her own opinions about important subjects (such as religion and politics) instead of accepting what other people say

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of freethinker This is the language of a company man, not a freethinker. — Andrea Long Chu, Vulture, 5 Aug. 2025 Known as an intellectual society, the freethinkers advocated for equal rights, the abolition of slavery, and rejected secession. — Amanda Ogle, Travel + Leisure, 26 Apr. 2025 Rasoulof has become very good at identifying fellow freethinkers. — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2024 By this time, however, even in cases where freethinkers were convicted of blasphemy, judges appeared to offer leniency. — Kristina M. Lee, The Conversation, 18 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for freethinker

Recent Examples of Synonyms for freethinker

Noun

Halaena can tell that something’s up with mummy, but that kook’s never been too concerned with matters of court.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 22 June 2026
After Kent’s resignation, Republican hawks denounced him as a kook and a traitor to the cause, without touching on the delicate question of why Trump appointed such a disreputable figure in the first place.

— Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026

Definition of kook

Noun

Fewer teams, no travel ball weirdos, and kids that want to actually be there to learn and get better without losing a spot to some kid who’s parents sign them up to play the bare minimum to qualify for the LL tournaments.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Wrestling can attract lonely 20-somethings, misunderstood outsiders, and creative weirdos.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of weirdo

Noun

Primus’ Bay Area cult following snowballed into a deal with Virgin offshoot Caroline Records for their studio debut, 1990’s Frizzle Fry, which established Primus as irresistible genre iconoclasts.

— Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork, 2 Aug. 2026
By the early 1990s, Eugene had earned itself a reputation as a beacon of progressive-minded irreverence, drawing a pungent mix of weirdos, iconoclasts, and freethinkers.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026

Definition of iconoclast

Noun

No documentarian has a better eye for intriguing oddballs than Errol Morris, who built his feature film career on drawing them out in conversation, from pet-cemetery owners in Gates of Heaven to small-town eccentrics in Vernon, Florida.

— Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026
With its loose ends and digressions, Dream Me a Dream stays true to those idiosyncratic instincts while retaining enough of the welcoming glow of Dance of Love to make this an affecting farewell from an endearing eccentric.

— Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 22 June 2026

Definition of eccentric

Noun

But what was served up were stale, pale sketches that seemed to have been exhumed from some old codger’s book of gags from 19 bloody 50!

— Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 21 Mar. 2026
My job was to conceptualize and oversee a luncheon for fifty of these luminaries—with the help of a woozy codger standing in front of me.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Oct. 2025

Definition of codger

Noun

Across a sample of 102 nations, Nordic ones (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Finland) come out as the most individualist.

— Mark Carey, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
This franchise didn't draft John Matuszak, but Davis found the boundary-pushing, difficult-to-coach individualist a perfect fit for the Raiders.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of individualist

Noun

In the Wisconsin governor’s race, for instance, much of the support for the presumptive Democratic nominee, Francesca Hong, stemmed from her maverick stance against data centers.

— Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2026
The Met’s next fashion exhibition at the Costume Institute will feature British fashion maverick John Galliano.

— Miles Socha, Footwear News, 31 July 2026

Definition of maverick

Browse Nearby Words

free-swinging

freethinker

freethinkers

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“Freethinker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/freethinker. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of freethinker

noun

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