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

• 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

But the state is also being forced to consider nontraditional water sources while staring down the impending water shortage. —Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Oct. 2025

That means lots of bratwurst, plenty of beer and traditional and nontraditional tunes from the Zicke Zacke Band. —Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025

The nontraditional bathmat is over 20% off this Prime Day. —Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 8 Oct. 2025

But there’s growing demand for nontraditional voices who offer devoted niche audiences. —Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 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