nontraditional

adjective

non·​tra·​di·​tion·​al ˌnän-trə-ˈdish-nəl 

-ˈdi-shə-nᵊl

: 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

Synonyms of nontraditional

• unconventional
• modern
• liberal
• progressive
• contemporary
• nonconventional
• radical

Examples of nontraditional in a Sentence

a nontraditional couple who are planning a very unconventional wedding

Recent Examples on the Web

That includes parents who have 9-to-5 jobs, and nontraditional schedules, to single moms and dads. — Melissa Willets, Parents, 4 Aug. 2026

Ferdon detailed how the crypto currency exchange became one of the biggest brands in the emerging world of nontraditional finance and banking options. — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 3 July 2026

Policies often fail to address tokenized assets and nontraditional trading activity, while surveillance systems still rely primarily on traditional broker and exchange data, leaving much of the decentralized and on-chain environment unmonitored. — Kelvin Dickenson, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

To remain tuition-free, Miss Major Middle is launching as a microschool, a nontraditional educational model gaining traction nationwide. — Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 27 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing nontraditional

• nontraditional family
• nontraditional student

Rhymes for nontraditional

• compositional
• definitional
• depositional
• dispositional
• intuitional
• oppositional
• prepositional
• propositional
• unconditional
• additional
• conditional
• nutritional