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
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
In the ninth century, the irreverent freethinker Ibn al-Rawandi used the fertile intellectual climate of the Abbasid caliphate to question prophecy and holy books.
—Jacob McHangama, Foreign Affairs, 9 Feb. 2022
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
That's the sign of a real freethinker.
—Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 14 Feb. 2013
See all Example Sentences for freethinker 
Adam Kirsch, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
In the ninth century, the irreverent freethinker Ibn al-Rawandi used the fertile intellectual climate of the Abbasid caliphate to question prophecy and holy books.
—Jacob McHangama, Foreign Affairs, 9 Feb. 2022
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
That's the sign of a real freethinker.
—Keith Kloor, Discover Magazine, 14 Feb. 2013
See all Example Sentences for freethinker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for freethinker
Noun
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For the pogues and kooks who've already torn through the first half of the new season of Outer Banks, season 4 part 2 is on its way.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
1 Nov. 2024
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Although there’s truly nothing as important as spending time in the water, there are some things that will make the process of going from a complete kook to a proficient beginner less of a chore.—
Krista Simmons,
Sunset Magazine,
12 Aug. 2024
Noun
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Won’t everyone gawk at that weirdo claiming a table for one?—
Angela Haupt,
TIME,
21 Jan. 2025
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The film is a fish-out-of-water caper, as two exotic art weirdos attempt to charm ranchers and perplexed local officials.—
Michael Schulman,
The New Yorker,
20 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The outfit has been populated with some of the worst crackpots and conspiracy theorists, and its anti-Western orientation is matched only by its reliable antisemitism.—
The Editors,
National Review,
9 Jan. 2025
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Lucius becomes a slave and is in the charge of crafty Macrinus, and soon becomes entertainment for the masses and two dangerously crackpot twin Roman emperors — Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger).—
Randy Myers,
The Mercury News,
19 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The late 13th century paintings were whitewashed following a mid-15th-century fire at the cathedral and subsequently boxed behind woodwork by 1786, which protected them from iconoclasts and vandalization during the French Revolution.—
Francesca Aton for ArtNews,
Robb Report,
4 Jan. 2025
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And when iconoclasts do emerge, in the literal form of Rhodes scholars demanding that a statue of the man whose munificence and foresight funded their ticket into the global elite be taken down?—
airmail.news,
airmail.news,
1 June 2024
Noun
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My dedication, to help the waifs and strays and eccentrics of the music world together, continues to this day.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
11 Oct. 2024
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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,
20 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Popular culture’s usual parade of toothless codgers and crones increasingly seemed obsolete.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
The New Yorker,
25 Nov. 2024
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Otto is also suicidal — something A Man Called Otto never sufficiently dramatizes, cheapening the codger’s despair as the film prepares for the feel-good ending to come.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
2 Nov. 2024
Noun
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This strain of individualism has remained strong in U.S. politics: Individual liberty, personal responsibility and economic opportunity are the foundations of American life, individualists say, so each person should win or lose on their own.—
Jay Feinman,
The Conversation,
15 Jan. 2025
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Fighting is a brutal and individualist sport, and orienting your life around violence can lend itself to seeing the world in harsh absolutes.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
14 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Kai Havertz’s finishing, for example, or Kylian Mbappe’s work rate, or the gradual erosion of Jack Grealish’s maverick edge.—
Rory Smith,
The Athletic,
19 Jan. 2025
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Overall, there were palpable achievements, not a few of which involved reminding Americans of the importance of core structural values as the maverick extremes of political discourse exploded in their influence.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near freethinker
Cite this Entry
“Freethinker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/freethinker. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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