thinker

B2 Topic:People & Society

US /ˈθɪŋ.kɚ/ UK /ˈθɪŋ.kə(ɹ)/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like tinker /θ/ vs /t/

Freq #18139

Meanings

1

noun
A person who thinks deeply, especially an important intellectual or philosopher.

Plato was one of the greatest thinkers of the ancient world.
2

noun
A person who spends time considering or reflecting on things.

He is a quiet thinker rather than a man of action.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a person who thinks deeply,... mind

Word family

Forms thinkers

Derived forms freethinker

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

divergent thinker
a person who explores unusual directions and alternative solutions to a problem

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English thinkere, equivalent to think + -er. Compare West Frisian tinker (“thinker”), Dutch denker (“thinker”), German Denker (“thinker”), Danish tænker (“thinker”), Swedish tänkare (“thinker”).

thinkere Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

People & Society

External links

# thinker

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈθɪŋ.kɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈθɪŋ.kə(ɹ)/
**Frequency rank:** 18139

## Meanings
1. A person who thinks deeply, especially an important intellectual or philosopher.
2. A person who spends time considering or reflecting on things.

## Examples
- Plato was one of the greatest thinkers of the ancient world.
- He is a quiet thinker rather than a man of action.

## Derived Forms
- freethinker

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: thinkere

## Etymology
From Middle English thinkere, equivalent to think + -er. Compare West Frisian tinker (“thinker”), Dutch denker (“thinker”), German Denker (“thinker”), Danish tænker (“thinker”), Swedish tänkare (“thinker”).

## AI Etymology
Thinker is from Middle English thinkere, equivalent to think + -er. Compare West Frisian tinker (“thinker”), Dutch denker (“thinker”), German Denker (“thinker”), Danish tænker (“thinker”), Swedish tänkare (“thinker”). In present-day use, it can mean a person who thinks deeply, especially an important intellectual or philosopher, or a person who spends time considering or reflecting on things.

## Topics
- People & Society

markdown