untraditional

adjective

un·​tra·​di·​tion·​al ˌən-trə-ˈdi-sh(ə-)nəl 

: not adhering to past practices or conventions : not traditional

an untraditional wardrobe

untraditional methods

… a recipe for paella containing the hitherto untraditional combination of chicken and shrimp.

—David Rosengarten

untraditionally adverb

Untraditionally, Santa brought along his elves on all-terrain vehicles instead of Rudolph and his pals.

—Melanie Mizenko

Examples of untraditional in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This untraditional gumbo recipe is thickened with okra instead of a roux. —Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 21 Jan. 2026

But there’s ways to get your story out there in the most untraditional ways. —Alyssa Jaffer, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026

The tennis star, 28, isn't just regarded for her standout athletics on the court, she's also established herself as a fashion icon with her head-turning, pre-match looks untraditional from the sports' norm. —Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026

And that’s not to say that is what ultimately led to the end of Tucker and Burruss, but such is the complex nature of a an untraditional man, wanting a traditional wife in this day and age. —Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 2 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1934, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for untraditional

• compositional
• definitional
• depositional
• dispositional
• intuitional
• nontraditional
• oppositional
• prepositional
• propositional
• unconditional
• additional
• conditional