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 there’s growing demand for nontraditional voices who offer devoted niche audiences. —Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2025

While sourcing items like sweetsop may require a trip to the nearest Caribbean market, there are plenty of other nontraditional ingredients that are perfect for fall cocktails that are readily available during this time of year. —Essence, 29 Sep. 2025

The university will introduce a streamlined, centralized advising model to ensure consistent guidance throughout the student journey, while a new Office of Transfer and Adult Student Services will expand access for nontraditional, returning, and transfer students. —Ryan Anderson, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2025

Influencers skipped the middleman and built audiences on nontraditional platforms — something Ashe had evangelized years earlier. —Mark Dent, HubSpot, 26 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