maverick 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of mavericknext
as in dissident
deviating from commonly accepted beliefs or practices George Sand's maverick views on marriage scandalized 19th-century French society

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

maverick

2 of 2

noun

ˈmav-rik How to pronounce maverick (audio)
as in bohemian
a person who does not conform to generally accepted standards or customs there's always one maverick who has to go his own way

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of maverick
Adjective
This week’s visit will be scrutinized for clues about the trajectory of a more maverick Saudi foreign policy. — Stephen Kalin, WSJ, 8 Dec. 2022 As the label carved out a space for pop’s true maverick weirdos, Harle became notable for his classically pristine pop production, evident on collaborations with Charli XCX and Carly Rae Jepsen. — Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 5 Dec. 2022
Noun
The following year she was elected to the Italian parliament for the maverick Radical Party, a bastion of anticlericalism, civil libertarianism, feminism, liberalism and radicalism in Italy. — ABC News, 11 Sep. 2026 For Jia, who has watched generations of Chinese talents develop in a variety of ways, his hope is for these Chinese mavericks playing in America to stay. — Fred He, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for maverick
Recent Examples of Synonyms for maverick
  1. dissident
  2. iconoclast
  3. unconventional
  4. eccentric
  5. individualist
  6. nonconformist
  7. loner
Adjective
  • The regime transmuted its coercive force into political legitimacy through the spectacular destruction of dissident bodies, restoring reverence for the Eagle.
    — Abdelrahman ElGendy, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
  • In January 1977 the writer, dissident, and future president of the Czech Republic, Václav Havel, was arrested by the Communist regime for his part in organizing the groundbreaking Czechoslovak human rights initiative, Charter 77.
    — Václav Havel, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of dissident
Noun
  • Leave it to British art world iconoclast Damien Hirst to answer it definitively.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 3 Oct. 2026
  • In the dot-com and digital revolutions that followed, many of the people who sold the hardware, coded the software, and built the platforms were seen as iconoclasts themselves.
    — Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of iconoclast
Adjective
  • As with their other current CBS hit Elsbeth — and unlike their more creatively unconventional streaming shows The Good Fight and Evil — Cupertino sands down some of the Kings’ jagged edges, aiming for something cuter.
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
  • He was known for intense performances and roles that often portrayed complex or unconventional characters.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of unconventional
Noun
  • The public reckonings with these figures’ legacies—the troubled former child star gone too soon, the beloved icon, the cult favorite, the complicated eccentric—have come in a cascade.
    — Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Make sure to practice a full range of motion with these and emphasize the eccentric (the way down) part of the movement for maximal time under tension and muscle-building stimulus.
    — Jakob Roze, HEALTH, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of eccentric
Noun
  • Across a sample of 102 nations, Nordic ones (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Finland) come out as the most individualist.
    — Mark Carey, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
  • This franchise didn't draft John Matuszak, but Davis found the boundary-pushing, difficult-to-coach individualist a perfect fit for the Raiders.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of individualist
Noun
  • The phrase suggests outsider, nonconformist — things in fashion this year.
    — Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 5 Aug. 2026
  • At least Guillén still speaks his mind on the Sox’s pre- and postgame shows, so maybe there’s hope for nonconformists after all.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
Definition of nonconformist
Noun
  • Responding to an ad in the newspaper puts Bernie in contact with Comer’s Araminta, a loner whose ultimate dream is to embalm a human body as the crown jewel of her taxidermy collection, which includes all sorts of fauna.
    — Zachary Lee, IndieWire, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The smart kids, the shy ones, the jokers and the loners — every one of them is caught in the pyroclastic flow of adolescence, every minute a negotiation between fitting in and standing out.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of loner

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maverick
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Cite this Entry

“Maverick.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maverick. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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