traditional

adjective

tra·di·tion·al | \ trə-ˈdish-nəl

, -ˈdi-shə-nᵊl\

Definition of traditional

1 : of or relating to tradition : consisting of or derived from tradition a traditional celebration

2 : handed down from age to age traditional history traditional songs/stories

3 : following or conforming to tradition : adhering to past practices or established conventions traditional morality traditional values/beliefs employing traditional methods of cooking

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Examples of traditional in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To get more technical, ginseng is the most precious yet widely consumed ingredient in Asian traditional medicine, says Mark Choo, the research director at the AmorePacific New York Research & Innovation Center. — Devon Abelman, Allure, "Why You’re Seeing Ginseng in So Many Korean Skin-Care Products Right Now," 8 Mar. 2019 The photo and Bündchen's romantic ode to Brady make their wedding day seem completely traditional, but the couple did things unconventionally. — Carrie Goldberg, Harper's BAZAAR, "Gisele Bündchen Just Released a Never-Before-Seen Photo From Her Wedding Day," 26 Feb. 2019 Take your traditional potato salad to the next level with olives, capers, and fresh parsley. — Taylor Murray, Country Living, "Seared Salmon, Watercress, and Potato Salad With Olive Dressing," 21 Feb. 2019 The floral pattern and flowing skirt made for the night mix of offbeat and traditional and partnered nicely with the white button down worn beneath. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Stranger Things’ Girl Next Door Was Sundance’s Breakout Style Star," 4 Feb. 2019 Looking back over centuries, politics has almost always been fought between forces who favor the traditional and those who favor modernity. — Ezra Klein, Vox, "A new theory for why Republicans and Democrats see the world differently," 18 Dec. 2018 That story was really about one of the most ancient and traditional societies on Earth very rapidly being upended by the opening of market forces. — Eric Johnson, Recode, "Elites like Amazon’s Jeff Bezos think they’re being philanthropic. But they could do so much more.," 3 Oct. 2018 Since then both teams have been focused on cricket’s shorter formats rather than the more traditional, longest form of the game. — Rizwan Ali, The Seattle Times, "Afghanistan set to “host” 1st home test in India vs Ireland," 19 Feb. 2019 The eatery is open regular hours and offering the Easter Farmhouse Feast ($110), consisting of two entrees and traditional sides that can feed 10 people. — Taysha Murtaugh And Nicol Natale, Woman's Day, "15 Restaurants Open for Easter Brunch Near Me," 11 Feb. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'traditional.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

14 Mar 2019

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Time Traveler for traditional

The first known use of traditional was in 1545

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More Definitions for traditional

traditional

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of traditional

: based on a way of thinking, behaving, or doing something that has been used by the people in a particular group, family, society, etc., for a long time : following the tradition of a certain group or culture

: typical or normal for something or someone : having the qualities, beliefs, etc., that are usual or expected in a particular type of person or thing

: based on old-fashioned ideas : not new, different, or modern

See the full definition for traditional in the English Language Learners Dictionary

traditional

adjective

tra·di·tion·al | \ trə-ˈdi-shə-nᵊl\