freethinking

adjective

Definition of freethinkingnext
as in dissident

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Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for freethinking
  1. dissident
  2. nontraditional
  3. out-there
  4. iconoclastic
  5. dissenting
  6. free-spirited
  7. nonconformist
  8. maverick
Adjective
  • The head of the United Kingdom’s MI5 spy agency said Iran is trying to strike military sites in Britain, going beyond the traditional targets of dissident Iranians.
    — Jared Gans, The Hill, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The regime transmuted its coercive force into political legitimacy through the spectacular destruction of dissident bodies, restoring reverence for the Eagle.
    — Abdelrahman ElGendy, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of dissident
Adjective
  • According to the Navy, this approach can help nontraditional defense companies move technologies from research and development toward procurement.
    — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026
  • President Obama was accused of limiting access to independent photojournalists, and famously favored nontraditional media outlets at the advent of the social media age.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of nontraditional
Adjective
  • None of it feels remotely tied to the zeitgeist, instead showing an artist galvanized by their own out-there proclivities and exhilarated by the limitations of whatever ramshackle gear might be lying around a home studio.
    — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 15 Oct. 2026
  • For music this uncompromising and out-there, the process is just as, if not more, important as the result.
    — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of out-there
Adjective
  • With Carrie, the architect of an elaborate dollhouse, and Florine, a painter whose iconoclastic canvases have made their way into the modernist canon, Ettie hosted a salon frequented by the day’s avant garde.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Golden, who is no stranger to voting against his party, has taken an iconoclastic approach to his last months in Congress by repeatedly backing Republican procedural votes.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of iconoclastic
Adjective
  • The Fed’s interest rate-setting committee is divided and saw the most dissenting votes in more than three decades last month.
    — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 13 May 2026
  • Board member Renee Paschall cast the lone dissenting vote on the final package.
    — Elizabeth Sander, San Antonio Express-News, 19 Aug. 2022
Definition of dissenting
Adjective
  • The film stars Masami Nagasawa as a free-spirited children’s author who invites her doting husband and secret girlfriend to enter into a three-way relationship of convenience, when both partners simultaneously express their desire to start a family.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Jo, raised by her grandmother, is hyperactive, wild, free-spirited, and a talented artist but often acts out in school.
    — Parents, Parents, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of free-spirited
Adjective
  • This dogmatic approach to revolutionary citizenship led to the horrible treatment of any perceived as nonconformist, such as LGBTQ people, hippies or punks.
    — Juan Carlos Albarran, The Conversation, 13 July 2026
  • In the end, Levine’s profile of the nonconformist genius reveals just how superb a dancer Cole was.
    — R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Definition of nonconformist
Adjective
  • The design was by aviation legend Burt Rutan, known for his bold and often maverick creations.
    — Jacopo Prisco, CNN, 27 Jan. 2023
  • But the true landmark was Pierre Balmain’s Vent Vert, created by maverick female perfumer Germaine Cellier (also the mastermind behind Robert Piguet’s showstopping Fracas) in 1947.
    — Town & Country, Town & Country, 19 Dec. 2022
Definition of maverick
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.

Browse Nearby Words

freethinkers
freethinking
free trade
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Cite this Entry

“Freethinking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/freethinking. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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