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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Example Sentences
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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
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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
-
Prizes will be available for participants in the categories of individual kook and group costume, judged by a panel composed of race partner Cardiff 101 Mainstreet.—
Karen Billing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Restaurants, shops, and parks — lots of old weirdos hanging around.—
Katie McDonough,
Curbed,
9 Feb. 2026
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Not bad for a bunch of weirdos.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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
-
The crackpots are the mainstream.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
31 Dec. 2025
Noun
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But, more intriguingly, the often shape-shifting iconoclast will be trying on what promises to be a new or at least evolved musical style.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
13 Feb. 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
-
Catherine O’Hara portrayed ridiculous eccentrics with equal parts hilarity and humanity.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Greg Brown, the original guitarist and co-founding member of ’90s alt-rock eccentrics Cake, has died.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
You meander in, consider the menu for a spell, then place your order — including the sort of beverage those codgers couldn’t imagine.—
Merrill Shindler,
Daily News,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Olive Nwosu‘s lively, humid debut feature zeroes in on a determined individualist in a city of over 17 million.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
23 Jan. 2026
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Poppy’s clearly a type four, that was the individualist.—
Lexy Perez,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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An exhibition in Beijing delving into anonymity, a key code of the house stemming back to the founder Martin Margiela’s Greta Garbo-like ways — and the face-obscuring masks that have been a feature of the brand since the Belgian maverick arrived on the international fashion scene.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
10 Feb. 2026
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Miss Piggy the diva, Kermit the moral compass, Gonzo the maverick, etc.—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Freethinker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/freethinker. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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