nontraditional

adjective non·tra·di·tion·al \ ˌnän-trə-ˈdish-nəl , -ˈdi-shə-nᵊl \

|Updated on: 11 Jul 2018

Definition of nontraditional

: not following or conforming to tradition : not adhering to past practices or conventions : not traditional

a nontraditional family

nontraditional students

nontraditional menu items

Many use nontraditional teaching techniques, and they deliberately draw their students from beyond traditional neighborhood boundaries …
—Thomas Toch

—

nontraditionally

adverb

- … to learn how to build and sell cars nontraditionally …
- —Michael Schrage

See nontraditional defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of nontraditional from the Web

The growing demand for nontraditional event venues spurred the Gormans interest in opening a facility of their own.

— erin sauder, Elgin Courier-News, "Carpentersville gives tax help to wedding venue developers," 6 July 2018
Tandem also used nontraditional yellow to associate positivity with Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign.

— diana budds, Vox, "The brilliance of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s bold campaign design," 2 July 2018
Shifting to the nontraditional concepts also helped combat citywide staffing shortages, while allowing for more employee benefits.

— justin phillips, SFChronicle.com, "SF restaurants struggle for balance in prices, service as wage hike arrives," 29 June 2018
Other looks are created using nontraditional techniques, including but not limited to dripping, squirting on with water guns, or application while lying down.

— devon abelman, Allure, "How Instagram Sparked the Indie Hair-Color Brand Revolution," 27 June 2018
The new prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, the leader of the Socialists, was forced to rely on these nontraditional, corruption-fighting parties to oust Rajoy.

— The Christian Science Monitor, "Spain’s grand example for Europe," 1 June 2018
These events are designed for nontraditional participants.

— jessi virtusio, Daily Southtown, "Bands, food trucks join forces to ‘Rock the Woods’ in Will County," 21 June 2018
Critics say schools worry that students with limited English skills will negatively impact graduation rates and say nontraditional programs are separate and unequal.

— colleen wright, miamiherald, "Miami-Dade School Board orders review of GED program for immigrant teens," 21 June 2018
The Earth Harp is the creation of Malibu luthier and musician William Close, who has invented more than 100 nontraditional and sculptural instruments over the years.

— pam kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Huge harp highlights free music day in Carlsbad," 20 June 2018

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