nonconformity

noun non·con·for·mi·ty \ ˌnän-kən-ˈfȯr-mə-tē \

Definition of nonconformity

1 a :failure or refusal to conform to an established church

b often capitalized :the movement or principles of English Protestant dissent

c often capitalized :the body of English Nonconformists

2 :refusal to conform to an established or conventional creed, rule, or practice

3 :absence of agreement or correspondence

See nonconformity defined for English-language learners

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Examples of nonconformity in a Sentence

As a teenager, he was embarrassed by his parents' nonconformity.
an artistic movement that doesn't tolerate nonconformity

Recent Examples of nonconformity from the Web

Many of the protests of these years were aesthetic gestures, statements of nonconformity rather than expressions of a political program.

— franklin foer, The Atlantic, "Why Liberalism Disappoints," 8 Aug. 2017
Yet Lamarre has chosen to write about real people here, celebrating Rossi's individuality and nonconformity and even ending the play with revelations about Mom's personal achievements as a young woman.

— christopher arnott, courant.com, "TheaterWorks' Raucous 'Raging Skillet' A Mix Of Sweet And Salty," 3 Aug. 2017
Some fifteen years later, cultural perceptions of gender nonconformity have evolved significantly.

— jay willis, GQ, "How the Republican Health Care Bill Will Affect Trans Americans," 23 June 2017
The Edwardses and Nova officials initially agreed to use a book about gender nonconformity during the anti-bullying month of October.

— mary divine, Twin Cities, "Parents can sue Nova Classical Academy under city’s human-rights ordinance," 14 June 2017
Some young tech companies are going through their own spell of nonconformity.

— shira ovide, The Seattle Times, "Tech startups’ infatuation with alternative IPOs might not be a good thing," 28 May 2017
Too many leaders run meetings that subtly stifle nonconformity.

— francesca gino, WSJ, "Leaders Say They Want Nonconformist Employees. They Sure Don’t Act Like It.," 16 May 2017
To foster nonconformity and innovation, that has to change.

— francesca gino, WSJ, "Leaders Say They Want Nonconformist Employees. They Sure Don’t Act Like It.," 16 May 2017
And because nonconformity comes in many ways, sometimes just being yourself and advocating for others can seem like revolutionary acts.

— Orange County Register, "Titan voice Sarah Muñoz — In the pink: What democracy looked like on Jan. 21," 2 Feb. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nonconformity.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.