Thoreau

American  

[thuh-roh, thawr-oh, thohr-oh] / θəˈroʊ, ˈθɔr oʊ, ˈθoʊr oʊ /

noun

1. Henry David, 1817–62, U.S. naturalist and author.

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Thoreau British  

/ ˈθɔːrəʊ, θɔːˈrəʊ /

noun

1. Henry David. 1817–62, US writer, noted esp for Walden, or Life in the Woods (1854), an account of his experiment in living in solitude. A powerful social critic, his essay Civil Disobedience (1849) influenced such dissenters as Gandhi

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Thoreauvian
  adjective

Example Sentences

Thoreau might have been surprised to learn that for later Americans, his name would be shorthand for the use of nature as a lens through which to view the self.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026

In 1854, Henry David Thoreau published “Walden,” which advocated for withdrawing from mechanized society.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

Thoreau held a deep suspicion of government and all hierarchies, including armies and corporations.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

Thoreau spent a night in jail for refusing to pay a poll tax, objecting to slavery and the Mexican War.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026

Thoreau, to protest slavery and what he saw as America’s unjust war in Mexico, had refused to pay taxes.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin