free thought

American  

noun

1. thought unrestrained by deference to authority, tradition, or established belief, especially in matters of religion.

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free thought British  

noun

1. thought unrestrained and uninfluenced by dogma or authority, esp in religious matters

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Etymology

Origin of free thought

First recorded in 1705–15

Example Sentences

For many Russians, disagreement signals not free thought but chaotic disunity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026

Policy scarcely matters, and one wonders if free thought is on the endangered list, too.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 13, 2024

Robbing children of the chance to find their voices in literature is a violation of their right to free thought and free speech.

From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2023

When the newspaper elPeriodico was founded in Guatemala in 1996, the country was emerging from a brutal civil war, and there was a feeling that a small space for free thought might be opening.

From New York Times • May 16, 2023

Can there be found in the literature of free thought one line against the enlightenment of the human race?

From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 7 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Discussions by Ingersoll, Robert Green