free spirit

noun

plural free spirits

: a person who thinks and acts in an uninhibited way without worrying about normal social rules : nonconformist

Their daughter is a real free spirit.

Von der Becke thinks of himself now as a free spirit: a sort of drug-free, hard-working hippie.

—Tim Cahill

Here was a man of extraordinary sensitivity, political acumen, spiritual power, and sexual wildness; a free spirit if ever there was one.

—Alice Walker

free-spirited

ˈfrē-ˈspir-ə-təd 

adjective

Synonyms

• bohemian
• boho
• counterculturist
• deviant
• enfant terrible
• heretic
• iconoclast
• individualist
• lone ranger
• lone wolf
• loner
• maverick
• nonconformer
• nonconformist

Examples of free spirit in a Sentence

Their daughter is a real free spirit.

an artistically inclined free spirit who felt alienated and stifled while growing up in a small town

Recent Examples on the Web

Watch on Deadline Seen in flashbacks mostly set in or around 1972, Sarah (Rothe) is a witty, free spirit from the big city with an ardent passion for activism, and trying to avoid the conventional/traditional life of a young woman in the ’70s. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2024

While their music continues to evolve, their unapologetically free spirit that electrified that June night in 2013 remains the core of their sound. —Sara Ibrahim, Rolling Stone, 24 Sep. 2024

Loose silhouettes, prints, and ruffles will have your inner free spirit on display this fall. —Gabrielle Porcaro, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2024

Wildflower represents all of us passionately experiencing life with a free spirit and sense of independence, able to grow and survive anywhere, and driven to succeed. —Vogue Club, Vogue, 6 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1931, in the meaning defined above