What's the word for someone who always likes being different?

Solution 1:

Maverick is the obvious choice, but since you want a derogatory connotation, how about

• wannabe-maverick, faux-maverick, pseudo-maverick, quasi-maverick, mom-can-i-be-a-maverick, maverick-in-vogue, fashionable maverick, trendy maverick, hipster maverick?

Oxymorons are always good for that — they can connote stupidity, and there's your derogatory sense.

It's not a word, but one funny saying comes to mind:

• That no one understands you doesn't make you an artist.

Solution 2:

How about contrarian as defined in dictionary.com?

"a person who takes an opposing view, especially one who rejects the majority opinion, as in economic matters".

And:

"a contrary or obstinate person (as modifier): a contrarian investor ; contrarian instincts."

Solution 3:

Since you are looking for terms of a disapproving nature, I would call them abrasive or flakes or attention whores but that's just a personal choice.

Some other descriptive terms are:

Nonconformist

a person who refuses to conform, as to established customs, attitudes, or ideas.

Misfit

someone who does not seem to belong to a group or is not accepted by a group,because of being different in some way.

Oddball

a person or thing that is atypical, bizarre, eccentric, or nonconforming, especially one having beliefs thatare unusual but harmless.

Solution 4:

> people that only use Linux
> only listen to Death Metal
> only watch cult movies with the sole motive of being NOT mainstream

Dude, that's totally me, I mean what's wrong with that?!

All joking aside, I can't believe hipster has only been mentioned twice in this thread, once as a comment and the other as an adjective. If you replaced Linux with Mac OS X and death metal with indie music, then you'd have three qualifiers that perfectly describe a hipster, and it is also a negative connotation.

Another negative connotation is anti-conformist, which though I don't self-identify as, fits me too well.

Solution 5:

I think you might be looking for the word 'iconoclast'.