Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The act or the habit of inquiring freely into the truth of a fact or point of faith in which authority requires implicit belief: especially applied to skeptical inquiry into the supernatural elements of Christianity.
- Holding the principles of a free-thinker; untrammeled or bold in speculation; hence, deistical; skeptical.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective inclined to forms one's own opinions rather than depend upon authority, especially about social and religious issues; exhibiting boldness of speculation; skeptical of authority.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective unwilling to accept authority or dogma (especially in religion)
Etymologies
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Examples
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The newspaper said its cover story was a reaction to the victory of an Islamic party, Nahda, in Tunisia's elections of a constitutional assembly last month, and that Charlie Hebdo wouldn't deviate from its "free-thinking" editorial line after the fire.
Fire Guts Headquarters of French Satiric Weekly Gabriele Parussini 2011
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It becomes deeply disconcerting when free-thinking people start drinking the Islamic Republic's Kool Aid by using the concept of "culture" and "religion" to provide justification for the violations of the rights of women.
Dokhi Fassihian: Stop Using Iranian Women as a Political Football Dokhi Fassihian 2011
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We see how you free-thinking fornicationists work as surgeons of society's soul, taking scalpels to the sermons, splicing them into wild new principles and axioms, excising the obsolete and grafting in your golden "rules" -- imperatives so abstract they simply must be interpreted anew for every context.
Archive 2009-08-01 Hal Duncan 2009
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As Mr. Stubbs shows, some were associated with the free-thinking philosopher Thomas Hobbes and his circle of religious skeptics.
Pens at the Ready Mark Archer 2011
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Mr. Lloyd believes that Higgins somehow posthumously led him to Eric Harland, who is among jazz's most able and free-thinking drummers.
An Offering of 'Tenderness Sutras' Larry Blumenfeld 2011
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* All other views are strictly prohibited for fear of free-thinking.
Think Progress » Right-wing Texas Education Board accidentally bans popular children’s book author. 2010
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The more free-thinking venues supporting the career development of writers the better.
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I'm not sure of the allegations made about Ian, but he is clearly one of the more free-thinking and radical members of the PLP.
BREAKING NEWS - Dr Ian Gibson deselected by Labour Norfolk Blogger 2009
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And we free-thinking individuals are free to disagree with her.
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Like her mother, Ella is a free-thinking and spirited girl, but when Mum dies and her father remarries, life starts to take a turn for the worse.
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