as in nontraditional
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Recent Examples of free-spirited
The 77-minute adventure follows a brave grasshopper, a curious spider and a free-spirited butterfly who are suddenly swept from their quiet forest into a towering, fast-moving city.
—
Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 11 May 2026
Kudrow, who starred as the free-spirited Phoebe Buffay, said the writers reprimanded the cast for forgetting lines and spent their off-hours fantasizing about her female co-stars.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 28 Apr. 2026
The two academic institutions each are known for progressive, free-spirited students, a lack of traditional grades, and opportunities for students to design their own course of study.
—Leah Willingham, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
Princess Margaret was known for being the bubbly, free-spirited counterpart to her older sister, Queen Elizabeth.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 13 Apr. 2026
After playing the free-spirited Serena for six seasons, Blake Lively continued her career with appearances in films like Savages (2012), The Age of Adaline (2015), and The Shallows (2016), as well as the box office hit A Simple Favor (2018) and its 2025 sequel.
—Rachel Desantis, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Apr. 2026
The free, all-ages fest features whimsical costumes, drum circles, live music, hula hooping and the free-spirited atmosphere that defined Austin’s roots.
—Mars Salazar, Austin American Statesman, 6 Apr. 2026
After all, half the fun of attending Coachella is seeing which groovy, free-spirited looks celebrities are wearing on the grounds (in the VIP section, of course).
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 29 Mar. 2026
Maria's charm and free-spirited manner lead to a surprising future against the backdrop of World War II-era Austria.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 25 Mar. 2026
Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 11 May 2026
Kudrow, who starred as the free-spirited Phoebe Buffay, said the writers reprimanded the cast for forgetting lines and spent their off-hours fantasizing about her female co-stars.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 28 Apr. 2026
The two academic institutions each are known for progressive, free-spirited students, a lack of traditional grades, and opportunities for students to design their own course of study.
—Leah Willingham, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026
Princess Margaret was known for being the bubbly, free-spirited counterpart to her older sister, Queen Elizabeth.
—Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 13 Apr. 2026
After playing the free-spirited Serena for six seasons, Blake Lively continued her career with appearances in films like Savages (2012), The Age of Adaline (2015), and The Shallows (2016), as well as the box office hit A Simple Favor (2018) and its 2025 sequel.
—Rachel Desantis, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Apr. 2026
The free, all-ages fest features whimsical costumes, drum circles, live music, hula hooping and the free-spirited atmosphere that defined Austin’s roots.
—Mars Salazar, Austin American Statesman, 6 Apr. 2026
After all, half the fun of attending Coachella is seeing which groovy, free-spirited looks celebrities are wearing on the grounds (in the VIP section, of course).
—Christian Allaire, Vogue, 29 Mar. 2026
Maria's charm and free-spirited manner lead to a surprising future against the backdrop of World War II-era Austria.
—Domenica Bongiovanni, IndyStar, 25 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for free-spirited
Adjective
-
The show combines nontraditional percussion, marshmallows, paint splashes, plumbing, black lights and streaming streamers.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 May 2026
-
By sourcing from these nontraditional pipelines, recruiters can find skilled hires in a much larger talent pool.—
Brittany Murrey,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
As a symbol of national ingenuity and know-how, the frosty specimen is kind of out-there.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
-
As a performer, these characters are out-there.—
Stewart Clarke,
Deadline,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Demna’s iconoclastic approach seems to have remained the same, to let the ideas, the world around the clothes, speak louder than the designs themselves.—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vanity Fair,
17 May 2026
-
When Karin carried on that group’s theatrics and iconoclastic spirit into their solo work as Fever Ray, Olof slipped out of the spotlight.—
Will Lynch,
Pitchfork,
11 May 2026
Adjective
-
When personal finance tips resonate with a viewers’ values, everyday financial decision-making can become colored with politics and nonconformist sentiments.—
Maximilian Brichta,
The Conversation,
22 Apr. 2026
-
With nonconformist narration and characteristic whimsy, her work offers us a space to wonder and reflect in a fraught time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The design was by aviation legend Burt Rutan, known for his bold and often maverick creations.—
Jacopo Prisco,
CNN,
27 Jan. 2023
-
Sinema has modeled her political approach on the maverick style of the late Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who alienated the grassroots of his party by sometimes crossing the aisle to work with Democrats.—
Time,
Time,
23 Jan. 2023
Adjective
-
And major Russian language book fairs, focused on dissident literature, are becoming more common across Europe.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
-
The opening up of the submission process for the category has been largely applauded by the international film community, especially dissident filmmakers at odds with their governments who never stood a stand chance of representing their countries.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
12 May 2026
Adjective
-
Drunkenness, like madness, protects the messengers of heretical truth from disbelief, disdain, and retaliation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Feb. 2026
-
This heretical policy gets some support from yet another rigid convention, that of credits, which separates directors from screenwriters.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Free-spirited.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/free-spirited. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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