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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But instead of laughing in Gladden’s face, Barinholtz praised him for earnestly committing to the responsibility of leading deliberations and being kind to the weirdos with whom he was sequestered.—
Judy Berman,
TIME,
22 Jan. 2025
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The funky weirdos in Venice or the edgy streetwear of Melrose.—
Allure Editors,
Allure,
17 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Bobby Kennedy and his crackpot ideas will do great harm to Americans.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
29 Jan. 2025
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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
Noun
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Zoom in: While some CEOs pride themselves on being collegial consensus-builders, many more like to think of themselves as daring iconoclasts, leading from the front into uncharted opportunity.—
Felix Salmon,
Axios,
16 Jan. 2025
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And at a festival that celebrates the rebels, the artists and the iconoclasts, is there anything more Sundance than that?—
Matt Donnelly,
Variety,
24 Jan. 2025
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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The folly of swapping him out for Ibrahimovic, football’s most brash individualist outside of Cristiano Ronaldo, was exposed in less than a year.—
Liam Twomey,
The Athletic,
6 Feb. 2025
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Potential voters were assigned one of five personality groups: risk-takers, carers, go-getters, individualists and supporters.—
Corey G. Johnson,
ProPublica,
5 Feb. 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 21 Feb. 2025.
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