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
Thomas Toch
nontraditionally
adverb
… to learn how to build and sell cars nontraditionally …
—Michael Schrage
Michael Schrage
Synonyms
Examples of nontraditional in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This thoughtful strategy ensures that mentees receive personalized guidance through a nontraditional approach, providing valuable industry perspectives to effectively steer them through their career paths.
—Ime Ekpo, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
With a Twist These somewhat nontraditional pieces give the same multi hoop effect with a bit of a twist.
—Mekaylah Yowpp-Hernacki, Vogue, 27 Mar. 2024
There has been a national push to dismantle barriers faced by nontraditional applicants, including eliminating questions about expunged and juvenile convictions and mental health diagnoses.
—Hannah Rappleye, NBC News, 2 Mar. 2024
That’s also the culture of festival-circuit favorite Alice Rohrwacher, yet she is esteemed for taking a personal, nontraditional — i.e., left-wing — approach to storytelling.
—Armond White, National Review, 3 Apr. 2024
In January, the James Beard Foundation announced five Michigan semifinalists, ranging from longtime establishments like Dearborn bakery Shatila to up-and-coming cooks like Rocky Coronado, who runs a nontraditional business for the Beard Awards — Nepantla Café, a Southwest Detroit vegan taco truck.
—Detroit Free Press, 3 Apr. 2024
Stein is co-teaching the WOW class with professor Christopher Kuhl, a lighting, scenic and installation designer who has a specialty in working on new, nontraditional, site-specific work like that done at the WOW Festival.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2024
Choosing a political outsider as his running mate cemented Kennedy’s nontraditional campaign — and may help to boost his profile.
—Jenavieve Hatch, Sacramento Bee, 26 Mar. 2024
Kroger has argued the deal will help the company stay competitive in a grocery industry that has been overtaken by nontraditional rivals.
—Alexander Coolidge, The Enquirer, 12 Mar. 2024
Ime Ekpo, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
With a Twist These somewhat nontraditional pieces give the same multi hoop effect with a bit of a twist.
—Mekaylah Yowpp-Hernacki, Vogue, 27 Mar. 2024
There has been a national push to dismantle barriers faced by nontraditional applicants, including eliminating questions about expunged and juvenile convictions and mental health diagnoses.
—Hannah Rappleye, NBC News, 2 Mar. 2024
That’s also the culture of festival-circuit favorite Alice Rohrwacher, yet she is esteemed for taking a personal, nontraditional — i.e., left-wing — approach to storytelling.
—Armond White, National Review, 3 Apr. 2024
In January, the James Beard Foundation announced five Michigan semifinalists, ranging from longtime establishments like Dearborn bakery Shatila to up-and-coming cooks like Rocky Coronado, who runs a nontraditional business for the Beard Awards — Nepantla Café, a Southwest Detroit vegan taco truck.
—Detroit Free Press, 3 Apr. 2024
Stein is co-teaching the WOW class with professor Christopher Kuhl, a lighting, scenic and installation designer who has a specialty in working on new, nontraditional, site-specific work like that done at the WOW Festival.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2024
Choosing a political outsider as his running mate cemented Kennedy’s nontraditional campaign — and may help to boost his profile.
—Jenavieve Hatch, Sacramento Bee, 26 Mar. 2024
Kroger has argued the deal will help the company stay competitive in a grocery industry that has been overtaken by nontraditional rivals.
—Alexander Coolidge, The Enquirer, 12 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nontraditional.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near nontraditional
Cite this Entry
“Nontraditional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nontraditional. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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