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Synonym Chooser

How is the word conventional distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of conventional are ceremonial, ceremonious, and formal. While all these words mean "marked by attention to or adhering strictly to prescribed forms," conventional implies accord with general custom and usage and may suggest a stodgy lack of originality or independence.

conventional courtesy
conventional fiction

How are the words ceremonial and ceremonious related as synonyms of conventional?

Ceremonial and ceremonious both imply strict attention to what is prescribed by custom or by ritual, but ceremonial applies to things that are associated with ceremonies.

a ceremonial offering

When is it sensible to use ceremonious instead of conventional?

In some situations, the words ceremonious and conventional are roughly equivalent. However, ceremonious applies to persons given to ceremony or to acts attended by ceremony.

made his ceremonious entrance

Where would formal be a reasonable alternative to conventional?

The synonyms formal and conventional are sometimes interchangeable, but formal applies both to things prescribed by and to persons obedient to custom and may suggest stiff, restrained, or old-fashioned behavior.

a formal report
the headmaster's formal manner

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of conventional While three spacecraft would be powered by conventional fuel, the fourth would have a solar sail roughly a third of the size of a football field. Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 10 Oct. 2025 Its Gaussian-splatting technology converts real locations into photoreal 3D spaces up to 10 times faster than conventional pipelines, cutting both cost and carbon footprint. Callum McLennan, Variety, 10 Oct. 2025 More than 70 percent of global reserves are locked in ores that conventional mining struggles to process efficiently. IEEE Spectrum, 9 Oct. 2025 According to the survey, 78% of leaders say conventional KPIs miss much of AI’s value. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for conventional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for conventional
Adjective
  • The Steelers counter with their usual black-and-yellow primaries.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Kevin sneaks his way into a room at the Plaza Hotel and gets up to his usual shenanigans in the building, which was owned in real life by Donald at the time, with Ivana serving as the property's president.
    Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Actors were brought in to pretend to be North Korean soldiers and wellwishers, and a choir of local schoolchildren sang traditional songs.
    Kayti Burt, Time, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Qiuhao Qiuhao quietly opened fashion week with a strong collection mining the idea of utilitarian aspects of Chinese traditional garments in the 1930s, which were subtly influenced by the Art Deco movement.
    Denni Hu, Footwear News, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Kabul wants to boost cooperation with an India that is also at odds with Pakistan, and as the Taliban continues to seek formal international recognition as the government of Afghanistan.
    Happymon Jacob, Time, 16 Oct. 2025
  • The company contested the findings and eventually reached a formal settlement, OSHA records show.
    Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The council had already rejected Allied once before, months earlier, over settlements — including back wages — that the company has had to pay out to current and former employees.
    Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 17 Oct. 2025
  • As in many other CIF-SS team sports, girls volleyball teams are placed in playoff divisions according to their current season performance.
    Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • As is customary, Danielle got the showier instrumental bits of the night, going from playing some serious fuzz guitar to the mid-show segment that has her kicking it on drums.
    Chris Willman, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
  • As is customary, hearing from the banks officially kicks off every earnings season.
    Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Accompanied by a nonchalant guitar performance, dancer and choreographer Dong Jilan, donning a brown velvet dress and having the same long, wavy hair as Sanmao, woke up from a miniature dune and roamed around the set in a highly spiritual and ceremonial fashion.
    Denni Hu, Footwear News, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Randy Johnson tossed the ceremonial first pitch on Wednesday.
    Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Dissent is nothing more than the expression of an opinion that varies from the prevailing or traditional view or the position held by those in power.
    Elizabeth Shackelford, Twin Cities, 26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • An ultra-orthodox school sat adjacent to the library, and its staff supplied the settlers with sleeping mats and air conditioning for the long night.
    Ryan Byrnes, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The Vatican said Leo will travel to the town of Iznik, modern day Nicaea, for the anniversary and while in Turkey is expected to meet Ecumenical Patriarch Batholomew, the spiritual leader of the approximately 300 million Eastern orthodox Christians.
    Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Conventional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/conventional. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on conventional

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