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

Bucking that trend is Bindery, a nontraditional publisher that taps influencers as book marketers. —Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 22 Nov. 2025

On one hand, the records that remain are voluminous, and diaries and letters declare all manner of other nontraditional behavior. —Jane Borden, Rolling Stone, 15 Nov. 2025

The district has previously pursued a plan of converting Hall into a nontraditional high school. —Dmitry Martirosov, Arkansas Online, 14 Nov. 2025

In a show of support for the nontraditional schedule, 62% of voters granted the school board that power. —The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 5 Nov. 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