nonconformity

noun

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

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

Synonyms

• dissent

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 on the Web

In the postwar years, Malaparte claimed that his imprisonments by Mussolini were proof of his anti-Fascist credentials—or, at least, his irrepressible nonconformity. —Thomas Meaney, New Yorker, 2 July 2025

For over a century, Greenwich Village has attracted Americans of all kinds with an interest in political activism and nonconformity. —Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2025

The band's brief but profound reign from 1968 to 1971 captured the euphoria and eventual disillusionment of the Woodstock era, speaking for a generation through anthems of community and nonconformity. —Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 June 2025

The evidence suggests that gender nonconformity and diversity is wide and deep in America. —Barbara J. Risman, The Conversation, 28 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1606, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for nonconformity

• disconformity
• unconformity
• uniformity
• conformity
• deformity
• enormity
• nonuniformity

Kids Definition

nonconformity

noun

non·​con·​for·​mi·​ty ˌnän-kən-ˈfȯr-mət-ē 

: failure or refusal to conform

Legal Definition

nonconformity

noun

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

plural nonconformities

1

: failure to conform to or comply with something (as contract requirements)

a lessee may revoke acceptance of a lot…whose nonconformity substantially impairs its value

—Uniform Commercial Code

2

: a particular aspect in which something is nonconforming

cannot revoke an acceptance he made with knowledge of a nonconformity

—J. J. White and R. S. Summers