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

The nontraditional scoring method being used at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic has created the sort of turmoil on the leaderboard that the organizers craved to set it apart. —Stan Awtrey, AJC.com, 26 Apr. 2026

However, are there couples who made nontraditional relationships permanent? —Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 25 Apr. 2026

With state-of-the-art technical expertise and mastering of materials, this opened Bulgari up to the world of further exploring nontraditional jewelry materials. —Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 20 Apr. 2026

For those Gen Zers who have scored a pair of keys, many are taking nontraditional routes to a down payment. —Jake Angelo, Fortune, 16 Apr. 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