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

Oldham County Schools shifted to a nontraditional instruction day, while Bullitt County closed, administrators said. —Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 12 Dec. 2025

Not all writing on social media or in nontraditional forms has turned into slop. —Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2025

An August poll conducted by the Harris Poll on behalf of The Wall Street Journal found that only 10% of investors wanted more nontraditional 401(k) investment offerings. —Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 9 Dec. 2025

Roughly one-third of large employers are offering nontraditional health plans in 2026. —Salpy Kanimian, The Conversation, 8 Dec. 2025

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