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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of freethinker
By this time, however, even in cases where freethinkers were convicted of blasphemy, judges appeared to offer leniency.
—
Kristina M. Lee, The Conversation, 18 Oct. 2024
The boys, including brilliant freethinker Melchior (Marshall) and his deaf friend Moritz (Joseph Saraceni), suffer through rote Latin learning with little room for creative thought.
—Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2024
As a freethinker who had run afoul of both Judaism and Christianity, Spinoza knew that bigotry and fanaticism weren’t just imposed on the people; they were also imposed by the people.
—Adam Kirsch, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
But get this: the freethinkers who dreamed up this potential flood tide work not out of Honda's Japanese R&D center and studio but its American think tank and design enclave in Southern California.
—Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 15 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for freethinker
Kristina M. Lee, The Conversation, 18 Oct. 2024
The boys, including brilliant freethinker Melchior (Marshall) and his deaf friend Moritz (Joseph Saraceni), suffer through rote Latin learning with little room for creative thought.
—Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2024
As a freethinker who had run afoul of both Judaism and Christianity, Spinoza knew that bigotry and fanaticism weren’t just imposed on the people; they were also imposed by the people.
—Adam Kirsch, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
But get this: the freethinkers who dreamed up this potential flood tide work not out of Honda's Japanese R&D center and studio but its American think tank and design enclave in Southern California.
—Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 15 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for freethinker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for freethinker
Noun
-
Listen to your doctor, not kooks like Bobby Kennedy and Dave Weldon.—
New York Daily News,
Twin Cities,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Listen to your doctor, not kooks like Bobby Kennedy and Dave Weldon.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Three-time Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan is its heart, providing a grounding presence between the grumpy musician and lovable weirdo.—
Lisa Wong Macabasco,
Vogue,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Despite the rather unseemly elements of the Fenn hunt—more than a few weirdos stalked Fenn and his family, and one even broke into his house—Gold & Greed argues that this spirit of outdoor exploration made the ordeal worth it.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside Online,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
That’s what Elliot (Rudd) and his daughter Ridley (Ortega) confront while on a journey to a retreat hosted by Elliot’s greedy crackpot boss (Grant).—
Randy Myers,
The Mercury News,
21 Mar. 2025
-
With Mickey 17, Pattinson doubles down (literally) on the crackpot touches and gives Bong’s follow-up to Parasite a true sense of unpredictable, undeniable lunacy.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
8 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Historically, his efforts to advance more climate-friendly technologies, his socially liberal stances, and his entrepreneurship positioned him as a likable iconoclast by broad swathes of the population.—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
13 Mar. 2025
-
Even as Republicans embrace him as an iconoclast, Democrats and other critics have lambasted Kennedy as a know-nothing without the scientific or bureaucratic experience to do the job effectively.—
Vox Staff,
Vox,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Robert Redford delivers folksy wisdom as a local eccentric who once had his own dragon encounter, and even Karl Urban’s greedy logger is more of a nuisance than an outright villain.—
Josh Bell,
Vulture,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Attracting talent for greater innovation hazards acquiring a few eccentrics whose gifts come wrapped in controversial packaging.—
Chip Bell,
Forbes,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
For older codgers like me who prefer golf clubs to nightclubs, a serene and charming alternative is the city of La Quinta, best known for its incomparable golf courses at PGA West and the historic La Quinta Resort & Club, another redolent whiff of Hollywood’s glorious days gone by.—
David Weiss,
Forbes.com,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Popular culture’s usual parade of toothless codgers and crones increasingly seemed obsolete.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
The New Yorker,
25 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Immigration has surged, and the United States has entered an individualist, conservative epoch.—
Robert Petkoff Krish Seenivasan Quinton Kamara,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2025
-
No other nation has more outstanding individualists.—
Philipp Lahm,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
At one point, that must have seemed like a sweet validation for Navarro, a maverick among prominent economists despite his Harvard Ph.D.—
Niall Stanage,
The Hill,
11 Apr. 2025
-
So naturally, the series went in a totally different direction with the new boss, introducing him as a maverick who runs into danger and a chief whose leadership style is a far cry from Boden’s strong but kind-hearted approach.—
Vlada Gelman,
TVLine,
11 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Freethinker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/freethinker. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share