NONCONVENTIONAL Synonyms: 42 Similar and Opposite Words

nonconventional

adjective

ˌnän-kən-ˈvench-nəl

Definition of nonconventional

as in unconventional

not bound by traditional ways or beliefs his nonconventional cures were the subject of some controversy

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 nonconventional Green Berets are training alongside Mexico’s elite marine infantry units in conventional and nonconventional combat techniques. — Risa Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2025 After building two lucrative businesses, the serial entrepreneur and attorney set her sights on ensuring her family was also a success in a nonconventional way. — Jasmine Browley, Essence, 6 Oct. 2024 The house was founded in 1966 by Spanish fashion maverick Paco Rabanne, whose futuristic vision and use of nonconventional materials became a reference in Space Age chic. — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019 Oil producers are working harder than ever to replace their reserves and, increasingly, turning to nonconventional petroleum sources such as Canada’s tarry bitumen and ultra-deepwater offshore wells. — IEEE Spectrum, 30 Aug. 2012 See All Example Sentences for nonconventional

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonconventional

Adjective

Middlemarch George Eliot’s unconventional Victorian novel upends expectations while crafting a complex portrait of family and individual life in fictional Middlemarch, North Loamshire.

— Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026
In it, Leó, a renowned geriatrician specialized in Alzheimer’s disease, develops an unconventional friendship with Ásdís, a psychiatrist who’s returned to Iceland to care for her ailing grandmother.

— Annika Pham, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of unconventional

Adjective

Most people go to campgrounds to escape the plagues of modern technology, so try to keep the decibels to a minimum.

— Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
During the Renaissance, Italians refined fencing into its modern form, and soon fencing schools began popping up all over Europe.

— Rebecca Leib, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of modern

Adjective

Americans and Europeans who identify as leftist or liberal tend to have fewer children than those who identify as conservative or right-leaning.

— Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026
The three finalists are liberal strongholds surrounded by the type of suburban areas that have become increasingly important to the party in recent elections.

— Mike Catalini, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of liberal

Adjective

Black Americans were struggling against the legacy of Jim Crow, and Abdeen interned with Ernest Goodman, a civil-rights lawyer who was reviving the National Lawyers Guild, a collective of progressive legal professionals.

— Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026
Several political programs returned to the chart this quarter, including Mark Levin Podcast, Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar, The David Pakman Show, Pivot, and Piers Morgan Uncensored, spanning both progressive and conservative audiences.

— Frank Racioppi, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of progressive

Adjective

Employers are missing a significant pool of talent by not including students from community colleges and those with certifications or nontraditional backgrounds.

— Michelle Sims, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Digital media and the people who star in it have been cultural mainstays for teens’ entire lives, so creating social media, video or podcast content seems a natural, albeit nontraditional, career path.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of nontraditional

Adjective

Though the building is clearly old (it was built in 1913), its shutters are a curiously contemporary shade of blue, sitting brightly next to the terra-cotta roof.

— Megan Rose Murray, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Aug. 2026
The hard-edge suitcase is now a coffee table that sits in the living room between the wood-burning fireplace and a sofa that’s the only significant piece of contemporary furniture.

— Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of contemporary

Browse Nearby Words

noncontroversial

nonconventional

noncooperation

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“Nonconventional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonconventional. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of nonconventional

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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