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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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
-
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
-
Even Kathy Hilton is like a ghost of her former self, with Jen Tilly taking the crown of doddering kook away from her.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In a community overflowing with crusty weirdos, Kate O’Flynn’s Patricia emerges as the undeniable standout.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
-
One can forget that Cage, who finds a middle way between doing a bit and playing a person, is a good comic actor, and not merely a weirdo.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2026
Noun
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Artists have always used music to question authority and expose the cracks (and the crackpots) in the American story.—
Time,
Time,
6 May 2026
-
In one corner, the heartless girlboss; in the other, the crackpot conspiracy theorist (who just happens to be more sympathetic and charismatic than such types usually are).—
Nate Jones,
Vulture,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Zulfi is an iconoclast and a hustler, a man who dreams of opening a Muslims-only version of Uber and who, even in the face of Shah’s elitism and English society’s broader wariness, holds onto an unshakable optimism.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
-
Tempo’s ascendence and corporate partnerships are indicative of a larger trend where well-heeled, corporate firms—from Robinhood to Stripe—are making their way into blockchain, traditionally the territory of anti-establishmentarians and iconoclasts.—
Jack Kubinec,
Fortune,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But what the New Yorker writer left behind is some of the finest prose of the 20th century, focusing primarily on the eccentrics, scalawags, seamen, and other denizens of New York’s dank corners.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
2 May 2026
-
The town’s overflowing with charming Midwest eccentrics, including a cocky mayor (Henry Winkler) and a welcoming barkeep (Lena Headey).—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2026
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
Noun
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Once Into the Wild hit shelves, McCandless' individualist intrigue became a phenomenon that may never have happened if Krakauer hadn't brought the story to the masses.—
Chris Barilla,
PEOPLE,
8 May 2026
-
The forty-niners are elemental to our identity as a nation of brave, rugged individualists.—
Jennifer Wilson,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Sure to eclipse the multi-terrain Purosangue as the Prancing Horse’s most polarizing model, the 1,035 hp Luce is a zero-emissions statement piece intended to further demonstrate Ferrari’s maverick nature while the marque plugs into complete electrification on its own terms.—
Viju Mathew,
Robb Report,
25 May 2026
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After serving seven terms in the House, the maverick Massie was defeated in a May 19 race by Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Freethinker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/freethinker. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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