nonconformists
Those bucking convention
Nonconformists are people who refuse to follow established customs, beliefs, or practices.
The term can be neutral or admiring, suggesting independence of mind: The tech industry celebrates its nonconformists.
In British religious history, Nonconformists were Protestants who did not conform to the Church of England—Baptists, Methodists, Quakers, and others.
Armed opposition fighters
- mavericksUnorthodox, independent-minded people
- individualistsThose prioritizing personal independence
- outsidersThose not belonging
- eccentricsUnconventional people
oddballs · freethinkers · bohemians · counterculture · subculture · punk · hippies · beatniks
Opponents of prevailing views
- PuritansEnglish Protestant reformers
- QuakersPacifist Protestant denomination
- MethodistsProtestant denomination from England
- BaptistsImmersion-practicing Protestant denomination
separatists · heretics · schismatics · reformers · sectarians · evangelicals · chapelgoers · independents
Independent-minded questioners of orthodoxy
- skepticsThose who doubt claims
- rationalistsAdvocates of reasoned thinking
- progressivesSocial reform advocates
- visionariesThose who anticipate change
innovators · pioneers · trailblazers · contrarians · questioners · challengers · avant-garde · experimentalists
Political objectors
- protestersThose publicly opposing something
- activistsPeople working for causes
- resistersThose who actively oppose
- agitatorsThose who incite disturbance
revolutionaries · subversives · insurgents · defectors · refuseniks · conscientious objectors · whistleblowers · opposition
Innovative cultural pioneers
- experimentalistsThose conducting trials
- surrealistsArtists depicting irrational imagery
- modernistsAdvocates of contemporary approaches
- provocateursThose who incite discord
underground · outsider artists · innovators · visionaries · bohemians · radicals · pioneers · trailblazers
rebels
Armed opposition fighters
- mavericksUnorthodox, independent-minded people
- individualistsThose prioritizing personal independence
- outsidersThose not belonging
eccentrics · oddballs · freethinkers · bohemians · counterculture · subculture · punk · hippies · beatniks · goths
dissenters
Opponents of prevailing views
- PuritansEnglish Protestant reformers
- QuakersPacifist Protestant denomination
- MethodistsProtestant denomination from England
Baptists · separatists · heretics · schismatics · reformers · sectarians · evangelicals · chapelgoers · independents · Presbyterians
freethinkers
Independent-minded questioners of orthodoxy
- skepticsThose who doubt claims
- rationalistsAdvocates of reasoned thinking
- progressivesSocial reform advocates
visionaries · innovators · pioneers · trailblazers · contrarians · questioners · challengers · avant-garde · experimentalists · mavericks
dissidents
Political objectors
- protestersThose publicly opposing something
- activistsPeople working for causes
- resistersThose who actively oppose
agitators · revolutionaries · subversives · insurgents · defectors · refuseniks · conscientious objectors · whistleblowers · opposition · underground
avant-garde
Innovative cultural pioneers
- experimentalistsThose conducting trials
- surrealistsArtists depicting irrational imagery
- modernistsAdvocates of contemporary approaches
provocateurs · underground · outsider artists · innovators · visionaries · bohemians · radicals · pioneers · trailblazers
- outsidersoutcast, outsider, outcasts, pariah, misfit
- British ReligionAnglican, Church of Scotland, Archbishop of Canterbury, Canterbury Cathedral, Westminster Abbey
- dissentersdissenter, dissenters, dissidents, dissident, objector
- Bohemiabohemian dress, boho chic, free spirits, counterculture, artistic freedom
- Sectariansfundamentalists, Puritans, Amish, Gnostics, Huguenots
- English PuritanismPuritanism, Puritans, strict morals, godly, piety
nonconformistsconformists
Those obeying social norms
followers · sheep · traditionalists · conventionalists · yes-men
nonconformistsconformists
Those obeying social norms
conventionalists · conservatives · traditionalists · strait-laced · obedient