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

Her thoughtfulness, confidence and free spirit are truly inspirational. —Miles Socha, Footwear News, 7 May 2025

Nicky, a reckless free spirit, is also Adam’s ex and the biological mother of Adam and Chloe’s teenage son, Ethan (Maxwell Acee Donovan). —Noel Murray, New York Times, 1 May 2025

But Endo, a free spirit who was one of Angel City first international signings in 2021, was the first truly influential Japanese player in Southern California. —Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025

Happy Birthday my sweet kind hearted free spirit girl @babychanelnicole. —Gabrielle Rockson, People.com, 29 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1931, in the meaning defined above