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
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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
Doctors volunteered, but so did nurses, store owners, actors, academics, factory workers and freethinkers – even prisoners about to be executed.
—Susan E. Lederer, The Conversation, 10 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for 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
Doctors volunteered, but so did nurses, store owners, actors, academics, factory workers and freethinkers – even prisoners about to be executed.
—Susan E. Lederer, The Conversation, 10 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for freethinker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for freethinker
Noun
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Prizes will be available for participants in the categories of individual kook and group costume, judged by a panel composed of race partner Cardiff 101 Mainstreet.—
Karen Billing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Jan. 2026
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What so many of these talking heads have in common—legitimate experts, well-meaning journalists, and kooks alike—is how costly their recommendations are.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
3 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The point was to create the conditions for a bunch of weirdos to sit around and ask questions of one another.—
Hannah Gold,
New Yorker,
21 Jan. 2026
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Horror film Weapons and sports movie F1 both made it into the top category, while the weirdo Bugonia bolstered its chances for a nomination after being left off the SAG and the DGA’s big lists.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The crackpots are the mainstream.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
31 Dec. 2025
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Rather than offer compassion or understanding, the mayor chose to repost a conspiratorial crackpot and a cruel, inaccurate meme.—
Dean Kertesz,
Mercury News,
30 Dec. 2025
Noun
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The women in her stories feel profound, distinct uncertainty toward convention—less as iconoclasts than fierce individuals.—
Chloe Schama,
Vogue,
26 Dec. 2025
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That is not a slight against Craig, whose ’90s-boy-band bangs and Foghorn Leghorn accent make private detective Benoit Blanc a delightful iconoclast.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
12 Dec. 2025
Noun
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As with all art forms, the world of nails offers something for everyone, from the austere to the eccentric.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
20 Jan. 2026
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Also, Joan Cusack plays an infamous local eccentric, and a fictional pop star shows up!—
Mary Sollosi,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Dec. 2025
Noun
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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
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You meander in, consider the menu for a spell, then place your order — including the sort of beverage those codgers couldn’t imagine.—
Merrill Shindler,
Daily News,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Olive Nwosu‘s lively, humid debut feature zeroes in on a determined individualist in a city of over 17 million.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
23 Jan. 2026
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Poppy’s clearly a type four, that was the individualist.—
Lexy Perez,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Bamberger, often regarded as a maverick, proved that degraded land could be revived.—
Lana Ferguson,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Jan. 2026
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Hancock himself changed the genre forever through his maverick forays into jazz fusion in the 1970s.—
Hannah Edgar,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Freethinker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/freethinker. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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