Inclined to form judgments and make choices without simply following others.
Reach for it when praising intellectual autonomy while leaving room for evidence and collaboration
The independent-minded researcher changed course when the field notes contradicted the accepted model.
| everyday | |
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| warm |
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| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
everyday
Fits when freedom from control or reliance is the broad quality
Careful Independent can concern finances or living arrangements rather than thought.
everyday
Fits when the conclusions or work differ genuinely from precedent
Careful Originality does not show willingness to resist social pressure.
warm
Fits when conventional beliefs are examined openly
Careful Free-thinking can suggest a specific anti-traditional identity that is not intended.
professional
Fits when the person organizes work without close supervision
Careful Self-directed describes execution and not necessarily original judgment.
formal
Fits when authority to decide is institutionally real
Careful Autonomous describes granted power and can sound impersonal as character praise.
literary
nonconformist
Fits when departure from convention is central to the praise
Careful A nonconformist may reject norms reflexively rather than reason independently.
independent-minded thinker
An independent-minded thinker still explains how the evidence shaped her view.
fiercely independent-minded
He was fiercely independent-minded without dismissing the team's expertise.
independent-minded approach
Their independent-minded approach reopened a question the standard model had settled too quickly.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Updated
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