as in maverick
a person who does not conform to generally accepted standards or customs
something of a lone ranger among anthropologists, she does her research without either a lending hand or an eye toward trendy topics
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Recent Examples of lone ranger
As Kissinger understood, even lone rangers need friends.
—
Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 21 July 2025
And while his rivals have landed serious blows against him, he’s embraced the tabloid-style frenzy at each of those junctures, incorporating them into his narrative identity as an underappreciated lone ranger constantly battling the world.
—TIME, 7 May 2024
Look, first of all, Netanyahu is not a lone ranger.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2024
Each bike in the lineup is powered by the same 1,203 cc V-twin that pumps out 120 hp, but the new year will see new styling and colors for the FTR Sport, as well as a few choice performance modifications to help America’s lone ranger compete against the aforementioned competition.
—Peter Jackson, Robb Report, 29 Nov. 2022
The desperate situation usually has an alternative, if only the lone ranger would tolerate his own vulnerability and fallibility.
—Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 19 Apr. 2021
Kaneland pitcher Emilee Erickson, wearing a protective face mask in Friday’s Class 3A state semifinal, was no lone ranger.
—Rick Armstrong, Aurora Beacon-News, 9 June 2018
Hanes doesn't believe J. Edgar Hoover or the Federal Bureau of Investigation was involved, nor a group of lone rangers.
—Ivana Hrynkiw, AL.com, 4 Apr. 2018
But don’t mistake him for a lone ranger.
—Dan Hurley, Discover Magazine, 19 Dec. 2016
Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 21 July 2025
And while his rivals have landed serious blows against him, he’s embraced the tabloid-style frenzy at each of those junctures, incorporating them into his narrative identity as an underappreciated lone ranger constantly battling the world.
—TIME, 7 May 2024
Look, first of all, Netanyahu is not a lone ranger.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2024
Each bike in the lineup is powered by the same 1,203 cc V-twin that pumps out 120 hp, but the new year will see new styling and colors for the FTR Sport, as well as a few choice performance modifications to help America’s lone ranger compete against the aforementioned competition.
—Peter Jackson, Robb Report, 29 Nov. 2022
The desperate situation usually has an alternative, if only the lone ranger would tolerate his own vulnerability and fallibility.
—Jordan Kisner, The Atlantic, 19 Apr. 2021
Kaneland pitcher Emilee Erickson, wearing a protective face mask in Friday’s Class 3A state semifinal, was no lone ranger.
—Rick Armstrong, Aurora Beacon-News, 9 June 2018
Hanes doesn't believe J. Edgar Hoover or the Federal Bureau of Investigation was involved, nor a group of lone rangers.
—Ivana Hrynkiw, AL.com, 4 Apr. 2018
But don’t mistake him for a lone ranger.
—Dan Hurley, Discover Magazine, 19 Dec. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lone ranger
Noun
-
One is Shinjiro Koizumi, the 44-year-old son of maverick former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who led the country from 2001 to 2006.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
8 Sep. 2025
-
In the early 70s, the British maverick had already made a name for himself with Deliverance, which was the kind of artsy genre flick championed by a New Hollywood whose directors owed more to the European arthouse than to classic studio fare.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Think wolf pack versus lone wolf.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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These are fairly simple and widely understood forms of doping—the kind of thing a lone wolf could pull off.—
Alex Hutchinson,
Outside Online,
25 July 2025
Noun
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The spectacular failure of aspiring enfant terrible David Hogg this week in the first test of his youth movement in an Arizona House primary would seem to point in the same direction, but look closer.—
Chris Stirewalt,
The Hill,
18 July 2025
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Blockbuster: Caravaggio 2025, Palazzo Barberini Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio—known far and wide as Caravaggio—was quite the enfant terrible.—
Julie Belcove,
Robb Report,
10 June 2025
Noun
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Pamela is a self-effacing free spirit whose honesty and abandonment cast a spell on the embittered Wendall.—
Rance Collins,
IndieWire,
20 Aug. 2025
-
Anna is a free spirit who marches to the beat of her own drum.—
Lisa Stardust,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lone ranger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lone%20ranger. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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