NONCONFORMIST Synonyms: 70 Similar and Opposite Words

nonconformist 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of nonconformist

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

nonconformist

2 of 2

noun

ˌnän-kən-ˈfȯr-mist

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 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

At least Guillén still speaks his mind on the Sox’s pre- and postgame shows, so maybe there’s hope for nonconformists after all. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026 Unlike her sister Daphne, Eloise's character is a nonconformist regarding society's ideals of what a woman should be, and her outfits portray that. — Kelsie Gibson, PEOPLE, 1 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nonconformist

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonconformist

Adjective

Rita Flores, a former member of the protest art collective Pussy Riot, alleged in an interview on Monday that members of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) had recruited her to spy on dissident artists.

— News Desk, Artforum, 26 Aug. 2026
Projects must be led by LGBTQ+ directors and screenwriters, or by professionals whose dissident gender identities and expressions inform their creative perspectives.

— Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of dissident

Noun

Put simply, Hanke sees Venezuela’s future as the world’s leading oil maverick that will go rogue if OPEC’s strictures prevent it from maximizing the worth of its sumptuous reserves.

— Shawn Tully, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026
In the Wisconsin governor’s race, for instance, much of the support for the presumptive Democratic nominee, Francesca Hong, stemmed from her maverick stance against data centers.

— Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of maverick

Noun

Their restricted status turned many into dissenters and activists, often tailed by the KGB and getting their phone lines cut in an effort to keep their stories quiet.

— Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
This echoed recent comments from three dissenters — Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack, Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari and Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan — who supported pulling the trigger on a quarter-point rate hike.

— Andrew Moran, Baltimore Sun, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of dissenter

Adjective

Middlemarch George Eliot’s unconventional Victorian novel upends expectations while crafting a complex portrait of family and individual life in fictional Middlemarch, North Loamshire.

— Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026
In it, Leó, a renowned geriatrician specialized in Alzheimer’s disease, develops an unconventional friendship with Ásdís, a psychiatrist who’s returned to Iceland to care for her ailing grandmother.

— Annika Pham, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of unconventional

Noun

Make sure to practice a full range of motion with these and emphasize the eccentric (the way down) part of the movement for maximal time under tension and muscle-building stimulus.

— Jakob Roze, HEALTH, 19 Aug. 2026
No documentarian has a better eye for intriguing oddballs than Errol Morris, who built his feature film career on drawing them out in conversation, from pet-cemetery owners in Gates of Heaven to small-town eccentrics in Vernon, Florida.

— Judy Berman, Time, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of eccentric

Noun

In Russell, the director found a star who could match his renegade energy.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Aug. 2026
But instead of employing a ball gown, glass slippers, and a grand carriage made from a pumpkin, the renegade maid comes to her damsel in distress armed with a different kind of escape plan—one involving an axe and a double parricide.

— Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of renegade

Browse Nearby Words

nonconformism

nonconformist

nonconformists

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Nonconformist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonconformist. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of nonconformist

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on nonconformist

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

kith

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes