non-conformist
Bucking the norm
A non-conformist refuses to follow established customs, beliefs, or practices, choosing instead to think or act independently.
The term can be neutral or admiring, suggesting someone with the courage to resist social pressure: She was a non-conformist who never cared what the neighbors thought.
In British English, Nonconformist (often capitalized) specifically refers to Protestants who separated from the Church of England, such as Methodists or Baptists.
Attacker of cherished beliefs
- free-thinkerOne who reasons independently
- individualistOne who values autonomy
- lone wolfSelf-reliant individualist
- rogueDishonest or uncontrolled agent
wild card · outlier · independent · black sheep · odd one out · loner · unorthodox · unpredictable
Opponent of orthodoxy
- objectorOne who formally disagrees
- protesterOne who publicly opposes
- refusenikDeliberate noncomplier
- whistleblowerInsider who reports misconduct
conscientious objector · defector · exile · oppositionist · critic · resister · contrarian · naysayer
Sixties counterculture member
- beatnikFifties counterculture member
- bohemianArtistic nonconformist type
- flower powerNonviolent resistance ideology
- communeShared-living community
free love · Woodstock · Haight-Ashbury · Summer of Love · psychedelic · folk music · peace movement · draft dodger
Idiosyncratically unusual
- idiosyncraticDistinctively individual in nature
- unconventionalDeparting from standard practice
- offbeatPleasantly strange or unusual
- peculiarStrangely unusual
oddball · original · singular · bohemian · avant-garde · freethinking · misfit · unusual
Openly resisting control
- anarchistOne opposing all governance
- insurgentOne who revolts
- revolutionarySeeking fundamental systemic change
- agitatorOne who foments discord
mutineer · renegade · troublemaker · insurrectionist · rabble-rouser · firebrand · provocateur · malcontent
First to forge ahead
- innovatorCreator of new methods
- groundbreakerInnovator, first to act
- visionaryImaginative planner of futures
- trendsetterOne who initiates styles
vanguard · pathfinder · first mover · disruptor · catalyst · reformer
iconoclast
Attacker of cherished beliefs
- free-thinkerOne who reasons independently
- individualistOne who values autonomy
- lone wolfSelf-reliant individualist
rogue · wild card · outlier · independent · black sheep · odd one out · loner · unorthodox · unpredictable
dissenter
Opponent of orthodoxy
whistleblower · conscientious objector · defector · exile · oppositionist · critic · resister · contrarian · naysayer · heretic
hippie
Sixties counterculture member
- beatnikFifties counterculture member
- bohemianArtistic nonconformist type
- flower powerNonviolent resistance ideology
commune · free love · Woodstock · Haight-Ashbury · Summer of Love · psychedelic · folk music · peace movement · draft dodger · underground
quirky
Idiosyncratically unusual
- idiosyncraticDistinctively individual in nature
- unconventionalDeparting from standard practice
- offbeatPleasantly strange or unusual
peculiar · oddball · original · singular · bohemian · avant-garde · freethinking · misfit · unusual · weird
defiant
Openly resisting control
- anarchistOne opposing all governance
- insurgentOne who revolts
- revolutionarySeeking fundamental systemic change
agitator · mutineer · renegade · troublemaker · insurrectionist · rabble-rouser · firebrand · provocateur · malcontent · outlaw
trailblazer
First to forge ahead
- innovatorCreator of new methods
- groundbreakerInnovator, first to act
- visionaryImaginative planner of futures
trendsetter · vanguard · pathfinder · first mover · disruptor · catalyst · reformer
non-conformistconformist
One following accepted norms
follower · conformer · traditionalist · conventionalist · sheep