as in weirdos
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 freethinkers
These, um, freethinkers were unintentionally encouraged by the airport’s art.
—
Charlie Sosnick, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Dec. 2025
My mom, like many freethinkers of her generation, butted heads against anything that reinforced the status quo, and let us children grow like wild weeds into our own individuals.
—Morgan Lockhart, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 2025
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
Charlie Sosnick, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Dec. 2025
My mom, like many freethinkers of her generation, butted heads against anything that reinforced the status quo, and let us children grow like wild weeds into our own individuals.
—Morgan Lockhart, PEOPLE, 29 Nov. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for freethinkers
Noun
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Himes’ novels, like Riley’s films, also run on a bench of eccentric weirdos.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
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In a community overflowing with crusty weirdos, Kate O’Flynn’s Patricia emerges as the undeniable standout.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
Noun
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O’Hara worked consistently across her 50-year career in both film and television, best known for playing beloved kooks and amiable wackos, though her range was boundless.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
30 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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Inbred eccentrics and bumbling detectives have populated the seaside villages of Bruno Dumont’s absurdist comedies.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
16 June 2026
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But the film is really a tour of a pre-gentrified East Village, full of low-key bars and cafes, run-down apartments, eccentrics and struggling artists.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 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
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The crackpots are the mainstream.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
31 Dec. 2025
Noun
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In January 2010, Tesla had sold less than 2,000 cars in its entire history, virtually all of them electric oddballs based on sports cars from Lotus, a relatively obscure British company.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
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Then there are oddballs – traction control – pretty rare in this class, alongside ABS, and a belt drive.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 May 2026
Noun
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The forty-niners are elemental to our identity as a nation of brave, rugged individualists.—
Jennifer Wilson,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Based on actual events, Eden features a starry cast playing a disparate group of rugged individualists who all find themselves in the Galapagos in the early 20th century, each abandoning society in the hopes of creating a utopia.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
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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
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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
Noun
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Tawny Port spends years in barrel, picking up notes of caramel, nuts, and toffee along the way.—
Emily Price,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
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Pairing them with a meal containing some fat, even avocado toast or yogurt with nuts, makes a real difference.—
Allison Palmer
Updated June 13,
Sacbee.com,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Freethinkers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/freethinkers. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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