chiefly British, informal
: traditional
… had partaken of the trad British breakfast …—
Pamela Vandyke Price
Pamela Vandyke PriceShowcasing such trad virtues as live musicianship, brick-solid song structures and stylistic breadth, this is one sweet set.—Paul Evans
Paul Evans… ski and surf outfits, not just in the dumb old trad black, either.—Bernice Peck
Bernice PeckExamples of trad in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
With the rise of trad wives like the beauty queen/rancher Hannah Neeleman, aka Ballerina Farm, as well as the 24-year-old model and mother of four Nara Smith, there’s never been more pressure on moms on the internet to present a pristine, highly idealized image of motherhood.
—Ej Dickson, Wired News, 14 Apr. 2026
This desire to be severed from others culminates in the trad fantasy of a wife who keeps the homestead clean while her husband runs a self-sufficient ranch, the whole family secure with their MREs, AR-15, and safe full of gold collectibles when the apocalypse comes.
—Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 18 Mar. 2026
The more ornate tracks’ departure feels nearly as monumental—and often as successful—as Deafheaven’s shift to clean singing on Infinite Granite; the trad shoegaze feels like a retrenchment.
—Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 11 Mar. 2026
From trad wives to spin classes to caregiving, Smithuijsen reveals how late stage capitalism strips women of agency and traps them in endless cycles of empty consumption and thankless labor.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
First was a simple, trad-style aesthetic.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 16 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, in Chicago, Abdullah Abbasi has leveraged his trad son lifestyle into a business.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2025
The rubes in the trad lobby have been snookered—though their final betrayal is yet to come.
—Ian Volner, Artforum, 28 May 2025
Recent examples of street style reveal a shift toward denim with extreme silhouettes, DIY details and brash washes—perhaps a sartorial cry for help or a declaration of non-conformity in the wake of more demure trends like quiet luxury and trad wife.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 6 May 2025
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Ej Dickson, Wired News, 14 Apr. 2026
This desire to be severed from others culminates in the trad fantasy of a wife who keeps the homestead clean while her husband runs a self-sufficient ranch, the whole family secure with their MREs, AR-15, and safe full of gold collectibles when the apocalypse comes.
—Adam Serwer, The Atlantic, 18 Mar. 2026
The more ornate tracks’ departure feels nearly as monumental—and often as successful—as Deafheaven’s shift to clean singing on Infinite Granite; the trad shoegaze feels like a retrenchment.
—Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 11 Mar. 2026
From trad wives to spin classes to caregiving, Smithuijsen reveals how late stage capitalism strips women of agency and traps them in endless cycles of empty consumption and thankless labor.
—Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Jan. 2026
First was a simple, trad-style aesthetic.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 16 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile, in Chicago, Abdullah Abbasi has leveraged his trad son lifestyle into a business.
—Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2025
The rubes in the trad lobby have been snookered—though their final betrayal is yet to come.
—Ian Volner, Artforum, 28 May 2025
Recent examples of street style reveal a shift toward denim with extreme silhouettes, DIY details and brash washes—perhaps a sartorial cry for help or a declaration of non-conformity in the wake of more demure trends like quiet luxury and trad wife.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 6 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Trad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trad. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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