as in dissident
deviating from commonly accepted beliefs or practices
a cattle-ranching family that took some time in getting used to their daughter's nonconformist adoption of vegetarianism
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in maverick
a person who does not conform to generally accepted standards or customs
always the nonconformist, she insisted on wearing red on St. Patrick's Day and not green like everyone else
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dissenter
a person who believes, teaches, or advocates something opposed to accepted beliefs
a nonconformist who was excommunicated from her church for her teachings
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nonconformist
Will Carless, USA Today, 17 Jan. 2026
As such, the city takes on its own distinctively sooty, nonconformist character.
—Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026
Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 3 July 2024
In her breakthrough piece, Heretic, Graham is dressed in white and rebuffed and rebuked by a group of 12 women dressed in black: the punishment of the nonconformist.
—Charlie Tyson, The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2022
See All Example Sentences for nonconformist
Adjective
Once ridiculed and dismissed for his nonconformist views on vaccines, nutrition, and exercise, Kennedy now leads a vast legion of followers and acolytes.
—Will Carless, USA Today, 17 Jan. 2026
As such, the city takes on its own distinctively sooty, nonconformist character.
—Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026
Noun
Invariably, memorials devoted to these two nonconformists emphasized their complicated personalities.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 3 July 2024
In her breakthrough piece, Heretic, Graham is dressed in white and rebuffed and rebuked by a group of 12 women dressed in black: the punishment of the nonconformist.
—Charlie Tyson, The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2022
See All Example Sentences for nonconformist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonconformist
Adjective
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Soon, the childhood acquaintances are embarking on a surveillance caper, eavesdropping on a dissident pop star (Rebecca Naomi Jones).—
Dan Stahl,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
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In the weeks before that dinner, dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and the Times and other outlets reported that world leaders had come to suspect the crown prince in the murder.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This isn’t the first time Tecovas has taken a maverick position.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
3 Mar. 2026
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In 1992, Ross Perot ran as a maverick presidential candidate on one major issue, the peril of huge debts, deficits and especially interest payments that were devouring the budget and leaving less and less money for the retirees, health care and defense.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Kornyev’s client is the barely hanging on Stepinak (Aleksandr Filippenko), a Bolshevik targeted by the secret police told to muzzle and expunge dissenters.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
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When a 19-year-old wrestler and two other men were hanged in the holy city of Qom on Thursday, Iran’s theocratic regime was sending a message to both dissenters inside the country and opponents abroad, analysts say.—
Mohammed Tawfeeq,
CNN Money,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Twenty years after the end of Laguna Beach, Lauren Conrad, Stephen Colletti and Kristin Cavallari are having an unconventional high school reunion.—
Kirsten Chuba,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Mar. 2026
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But the highest threat still comes from Iran’s unconventional arsenal, like drones, fast-attack small vessels and even unmanned boats that are filled with explosives.—
Annette Choi,
CNN Money,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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However, in the French Riviera city of Nice, an ally of Marine Le Pen's party, renegade conservative Eric Ciotti, looks set to win against a candidate backed by the center.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
22 Mar. 2026
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Wandering around the park, dry leaves crunching underfoot, feels like crashing a dress rehearsal, or an extremely chill treeworker renegade.—
Calin Van Paris,
Outside,
19 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Board member Renee Paschall cast the lone dissenting vote on the final package.—
Elizabeth Sander,
San Antonio Express-News,
19 Aug. 2022
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The document runs to more than a hundred and fifty pages, and for each question there are affirmative and dissenting studies, as well as some that indicate mixed results.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
3 June 2022
Noun
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In 2015, Robert Durst, a wealthy eccentric linked to two killings and his wife’s disappearance, was arrested by the FBI in New Orleans on a murder warrant a day before HBO aired the final episode of a serial documentary about his life.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Feb. 2026
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On her trail are a Báthory relative who is vegetarian (Thomas Schubert), his psychotherapist (Lars Eidinger), two vampirologists, a police inspector and a gallery of eccentrics.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nonconformist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonconformist. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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