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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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.
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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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Jiraiya Look, yes, Jiraiya is a bit of a creepy weirdo, but as a mentor for Naruto, there really couldn't be a better choice.David Faris, Newsweek, 29 Dec. 2024
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There have been few depictions of Dracula as a true weirdo — a guy who lurks in the corner and makes unsolicited comments about the beauty of Harker’s wife’s neck — but Schreck’s portrayal of Dracula as a wealthy foreign invader is essential to the cinematic history of the count.Celia Mattison, Vulture, 27 Dec. 2024
Noun
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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
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Those may sound like the Luddite ravings of a crackpot who breached security at an IEEE conference.IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 20 Oct. 2014
Noun
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While he may be known for being an iconoclast, Bob Dylan has a public persona — aloof, remote, borderline misanthropic — that doesn’t exactly lend itself to the typical Hollywood treatment.Aja Romano, Vox, 25 Dec. 2024
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Rebellion brings acclaim, which brings public expectations, which brings more rebellion: a cycle that’s true to Dylan’s life, but also that of many previous iconoclasts portrayed on film.Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 25 Dec. 2024
Noun
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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
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This business is all about the little eccentrics out there who get lost in the shuffle.Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 19 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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As higher education developed along the lines established by wealthy philanthropists and free-market economic priorities, the enterprise came to be seen as an individualist affair rather than a cooperative one.Ryann Liebenthal, Harper's Magazine, 2 Sep. 2024
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Radical individualists come to environmentalism from a different place than other people who support the cause.Keren Landman, Vox, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Trump backing TikTok is something of a maverick position in Washington.Bobby Allyn, NPR, 10 Jan. 2025
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The odds were stacked against Britain until a group of renegade, maverick soldiers (the SAS Rogue Heroes) decided to fight against a more powerful enemy in a new way.Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 10 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Freethinker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/freethinker. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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