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

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

BabyCenter's annual report on declining names found that nontraditional spellings — such as Charleigh, Alivia, Maddison and Emmitt —have seen a sharp fall in popularity. — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026

Policy solutions should prioritize insurance continuity during the transition into adulthood and implementing universal screening in nontraditional settings, the authors wrote. — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 23 June 2026

Part of the explanation, Ford said, is that the right weather patterns have produced large tornado outbreaks in nontraditional tornado months, such as March of last year and July 2024. — Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 21 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