Meaning & use
thinking for yourself
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
The act of forming your own opinions and making your own decisions instead of following what others say.
Grammar: Used as a noun phrase: 'Thinking for yourself is important.' The verb form is 'think for yourself'.
Patterns
- thinking for yourself
- think for yourself
- learn to think for yourself
Thinking for yourself is a skill that takes practice.
The teacher encouraged thinking for yourself rather than memorizing facts.
She believes that thinking for yourself is the key to a happy life.
Common combinations
- independent thinking
- The school values independent thinking over rote learning.
- think for yourself
- You need to think for yourself and not just follow the crowd.
- encourage thinking for yourself
- Good parents encourage thinking for yourself.
- learn to think for yourself
- At university, you learn to think for yourself.
Synonyms and how they differ
- independent thinking
- This is a more formal noun phrase with the same meaning; 'thinking for yourself' is more conversational.
- critical thinking
- Critical thinking focuses on analyzing and evaluating information, while thinking for yourself emphasizes forming your own views.
Opposites
Word family
- think for yourself phrase
- The verb phrase meaning to form your own opinions.
- thinker noun
- A person who thinks seriously, often independently.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'thinking for yourself' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Thinking for yourself' is a singular noun phrase, so it takes a singular verb like 'can lead'. Option A uses 'are' incorrectly; options B and D confuse the reflexive pronoun with the subject.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “thinking for yourself”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.