freethinker
noun
free·think·er ˈfrē-ˈthiŋ-kər 
: a person who thinks freely or independently : one who forms opinions on the basis of reason independently of authority
especially : one who rejects or is skeptical of religious dogma
freethinking
ˈfrē-ˈthiŋ-kiŋ
noun or adjective 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Felicie, an intellectual freethinker openly critical of the Fascist regime, headed to California in 1940 on the last steamship to sail from Rhodes. 
Heller Mcalpin, WSJ, 8 Sep. 2022 Leia started out as a bold freethinker with ultra-supportive parents, and ended the same with a cool holster. Darren Franich, EW.com, 22 June 2022 The 61-year-old, the oldest in the group, described himself as a freethinker and a proud Russian who wanted to show Ukrainians that not all Russians supported the war — in fact, there were some like him who would fight on their side. Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2022 Marie-Aurore de Saxe, a French noblewoman and freethinker, was painted in the guise of Diana, the huntress, wearing a leopard-print gown with billowing sleeves and a plunging bosom. Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2022 When charges of financial impropriety are levied against the Bakkers, Falwell, portraying himself as the couple’s ally, relies on the scandal to rid himself and the movement of its pesky freethinker. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2021 Stanton, like some of the suffragists, was a freethinker who did not attend church and saw Christianity as hostile to women’s rights. The Salt Lake Tribune, 19 Aug. 2020 New intriguing documentary Spaceship Earth follows the ragtag group of freethinkers who became famous for the creation of Biosphere 2, a manmade vivarium in the middle of the desert meant to test whether humans could sustain life on another planet. Ineye Komonibo, refinery29.com, 8 May 2020 Because, as well as being a pioneering logician, Russell was an uncompromising freethinker—and an early advocate of free love. The Economist, 16 Apr. 2020 See More
Heller Mcalpin, WSJ, 8 Sep. 2022 Leia started out as a bold freethinker with ultra-supportive parents, and ended the same with a cool holster. Darren Franich, EW.com, 22 June 2022 The 61-year-old, the oldest in the group, described himself as a freethinker and a proud Russian who wanted to show Ukrainians that not all Russians supported the war — in fact, there were some like him who would fight on their side. Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2022 Marie-Aurore de Saxe, a French noblewoman and freethinker, was painted in the guise of Diana, the huntress, wearing a leopard-print gown with billowing sleeves and a plunging bosom. Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2022 When charges of financial impropriety are levied against the Bakkers, Falwell, portraying himself as the couple’s ally, relies on the scandal to rid himself and the movement of its pesky freethinker. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2021 Stanton, like some of the suffragists, was a freethinker who did not attend church and saw Christianity as hostile to women’s rights. The Salt Lake Tribune, 19 Aug. 2020 New intriguing documentary Spaceship Earth follows the ragtag group of freethinkers who became famous for the creation of Biosphere 2, a manmade vivarium in the middle of the desert meant to test whether humans could sustain life on another planet. Ineye Komonibo, refinery29.com, 8 May 2020 Because, as well as being a pioneering logician, Russell was an uncompromising freethinker—and an early advocate of free love. The Economist, 16 Apr. 2020 See More Word History
First Known Use
circa 1700, in the meaning defined above
freethinking
adjective
as in dissenting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- dissenting
- dissident
- nonconformist
- free-spirited
- iconoclastic
- maverick
- heretic
- dissentient
- nontraditional
- renegade
- heretical
- apostate
- heterodox
- unconventional
- out-there
- separatist
- unorthodox
- defecting
- schismatic
- sectarian
- schismatical
- nonorthodox
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- orthodox
- conventional
- conformist
- conforming