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
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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
Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026
In an environment like this, choosing not to speak can be as nonconformist, and perhaps even as difficult, as open dissent.
—Big Think, 27 Nov. 2025
Charlie Tyson, The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2022
The uniform and the nonconformist.
—Rachel Tashjian, Harper's BAZAAR, 9 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for nonconformist
Adjective
As such, the city takes on its own distinctively sooty, nonconformist character.
—Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026
In an environment like this, choosing not to speak can be as nonconformist, and perhaps even as difficult, as open dissent.
—Big Think, 27 Nov. 2025
Noun
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
The uniform and the nonconformist.
—Rachel Tashjian, Harper's BAZAAR, 9 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for nonconformist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonconformist
Adjective
-
In Virginia, a dissident hinterland landowner named Nathaniel Bacon led a revolt by aggrieved Colonists that torched the English provincial capital at Jamestown.—
Peter C. Mancall,
The Conversation,
9 Jan. 2026
-
After hundreds of thousands of opposition protesters took to the streets in April 2002, Chavez was briefly ousted in a coup by dissident military officers and opposition figures, who installed a new president, businessman Pedro Carmona.—
James Trapani,
Fortune,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Hancock himself changed the genre forever through his maverick forays into jazz fusion in the 1970s.—
Hannah Edgar,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Recall that in the 1992 presidential race, independent candidate and political unknown Ross Perot made the exploding interest on the national debt a centerpiece of his maverick campaign and captured nearly 20% of the popular vote, thanks in large part to hammering home the looming danger ahead.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The alternative is a politics in which the state survives by making dissenters illegitimate as citizens.—
Stephanie A,
The Conversation,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Though the dissenters were in the minority, as this was the direction the movement was headed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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And do recruiters or hiring managers know how to look at someone’s unconventional resume and see promise instead of difference?—
Benjamin Wolff,
Forbes.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
But this game, which ended in a 1-1 tie, was also a bit unconventional, as both goals were scored on penalty kicks in the final minutes.—
Lou Ponsi,
Oc Register,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This growing group of renegade traders maintain that core truths emerge only after thousands of people express their opinions with their pocketbooks.—
Bobby Allyn,
NPR,
17 Jan. 2026
-
For most of DeSantis’ term, the state has been governed his desire to serve the needs of the wealthy elite while burnishing his credentials as an audacious renegade.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Board member Renee Paschall cast the lone dissenting vote on the final package.—
Elizabeth Sander,
San Antonio Express-News,
19 Aug. 2022
-
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
-
As with all art forms, the world of nails offers something for everyone, from the austere to the eccentric.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Also, Joan Cusack plays an infamous local eccentric, and a fictional pop star shows up!—
Mary Sollosi,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nonconformist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonconformist. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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