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free thought

American

noun

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

free thought British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of free thought

First recorded in 1705–15

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

free thought

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

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

Its founders envisaged it as a bastion of free thought.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2023

It is the exercise of reason, without which free thought is free foolishness.

From English Secularism A Confession Of Belief by Holyoake, George Jacob

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023