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freedom of thought

freedom of thought

3 3.7
The right to have your own opinions and beliefs, even if unpopular
  • noun
  • /ˈfriːdəm əv θɔt/
  • Formal
translation icon : libertad de pensamiento
  • Restrictions on freedom of thought and action are obstacles to dialogue.
  • freedom of thought and conscience
  • freedom of thought and speech
  • freedom of thought and expression

We are students of the School of Athens, continuers of Greek freedom of thought.

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Examples

  • The devaluation of freedom of thought and speech undermines individual liberty.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Libraries represent liberal learning, freedom of education, and freedom of thought, and my understanding is that’s what you all stand for.

    Academic text (1991)
  • The only one I know is freedom of thought and action.

  • This is what I consider freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and freedom of thought.

  • Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Freedom of thought is not a given, but depends on social relations.

    Academic text (1992)
  • We intend our questioning to promote freedom of thought, to provoke astonishment, and to stimulate reflection.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.

  • The right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion is inalienable and must be universally enjoyed.

  • New restrictions on freedom of thought at Chinese colleges, havens of relatively open expression, are taking hold.

Antonyms

120 5.5

A cruel use of power to control and hurt people

119 4.8

A system that removes parts of books, films or news that people find harmful

How Free

freedom of thought
  • Formal
3 3.7
freedom of religion
  • Formal
24 2.8
social control
  • Specialized
4 5.3

Surface Forms

Morphology

freedom + of + thought

The meaning is directly compositional: 'freedom' (ability to act or think freely) applied to the domain 'thought' yields the right to hold one's own opinions. The preposition 'of' simply links the domain, and this type of construction is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the parts will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Freedom of thought comes from the simple image of thoughts as birds in your head and freedom as the open sky that lets them fly. That's why the phrase means the right 'to have your own opinions', even if other people do not like them.