as in maverick
a person who does not conform to generally accepted standards or customs
an individualist who steadfastly refuses to do what everyone else is doing
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Recent Examples of individualist
New York City is full of remorseless individualists who nonetheless stick to some codes very rigidly.
—
Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2025
Yet, historians have noted that his rhetoric and policies play into the individualist and patriotic characteristics associated with the beloved Western cowboy.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 19 Oct. 2025
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
What is a totalitarian leader other than an individualist taking that creed to its cruel conclusions, erasing the uniqueness of every other person into mere characters in a drama?
—Ed Simon
june 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for individualist
Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2025
Yet, historians have noted that his rhetoric and policies play into the individualist and patriotic characteristics associated with the beloved Western cowboy.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 19 Oct. 2025
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
What is a totalitarian leader other than an individualist taking that creed to its cruel conclusions, erasing the uniqueness of every other person into mere characters in a drama?
—Ed Simon
june 23, Literary Hub, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for individualist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for individualist
Noun
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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
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Recall that in the 1992 presidential race, independent candidate and political unknown Ross Perot made the exploding interest on the national debt a centerpiece of his maverick campaign and captured nearly 20% of the popular vote, thanks in large part to hammering home the looming danger ahead.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
15 Jan. 2026
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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Rewatched today, through no foreseeable fault of the movie or actor, Davison’s wimpy, anti-social straight white loner character still looks like a caricature but feels darker.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
16 Jan. 2026
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Wei’s attorneys recommended a sentence of less than three years, arguing their client was an emotionally stunted loner who’d been manipulated by a Chinese spy, but who had only turned over basic information about an outdated ship rather than highly classified military secrets.—
Alex Riggins,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Individualist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/individualist. Accessed 23 Jan. 2026.
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