maverick
/ˈmav(ə)rɪk
/noun
1An unorthodox or independent-minded person: he’s the maverick of the senate...
- They want independent minds, mavericks and free thinkers.
- What does the future hold for the band who bill themselves as the independent mavericks in a world of mere cut-outs?
- And yet that same culture would flatter us into believing we are a nation of mavericks and rebels.
Synonyms
individualist, nonconformist, free spirit, unorthodox person, unconventional person, original, trendsetter, bohemian, eccentric, outsider;
rebel, dissenter, dissident
informal bad boy
2North American An unbranded calf or yearling.
adjective
Unorthodox: a maverick detective...
- One must be constantly alert to the hazard of maverick cyclists and uneven pavements, and you may suffer a tirade of abuse from those who now own the world, should you criticise them for unsocial behaviour.
- Hollywood is notoriously bad at handling maverick talents, and now it has a potential star on its hands who defies the usual female type of small, skinny, milk-toast Caucasians.
- While I admire maverick clergymen, it takes the guts of the ‘ordinary’ man to go about doing good and decent deeds daily without fanfare.
Origin
Mid 19th century: from the name of Samuel A. Maverick (1803–70), a Texas rancher who did not brand his cattle.
In the middle of the 19th century Samuel Augustus Maverick owned such a large herd of cattle in Texas that he left the calves unbranded. People in the USA noted this unusual practice and began to use maverick for any unbranded calf or yearling. From the 1880s the word came to signify ‘individualistic, unorthodox, or independent-minded’.