Words of Positivity
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Freethinking

adj.thoughtful, capableprofessional

What it means

Willing to form ideas independently and question assumptions.

Reach for it when praising willingness to form ideas independently and question assumptions

The freethinking students tested several unusual designs.

Choose between these

6
  • warm

    independent-minded

    judgment is not surrendered to group pressure

    not when Independent-minded can become stubborn or isolated.

  • warm

    inquiring

    active curiosity drives examination

    not when An inquiring mind may remain within accepted assumptions.

  • warm

    open-minded

    new evidence and views receive fair consideration

    not when Open-minded people may still accept conventional conclusions.

  • professional

    skeptical

    claims face careful demand for evidence

    not when Skepticism alone can become reflexive disbelief.

  • formal

    nonconformist

    thinking resists social convention

    not when Nonconformity can be performative rather than thoughtful.

  • formal

    unorthodox

    ideas depart from established doctrine

    not when Departure from doctrine carries no guarantee of sound reasoning.

Said against

3
  • dogmatic
  • conformist
  • closed-minded

It naturally appears in

3
  • freethinking scholar

    The freethinking scholar compared every source.

  • freethinking tradition

    The school preserved a freethinking tradition.

  • freethinking approach

    A freethinking approach welcomed disconfirming evidence.

Where this comes from

The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.