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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of nonconformist
Charlie Tyson, The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2022
Ye, however, was widely known to be both a perfectionist and a nonconformist.
—New York Times, 25 July 2022
Fedoras, trilbys and Panamas seem to proclaim the wearer as either an extravagant nonconformist or an anti-feminist reactionary.
—New York Times, 15 July 2022
The Return of Tanya Tucker is a fittingly unconventional portrait of a nonconformist.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2022
See All Example Sentences for nonconformist
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
Ye, however, was widely known to be both a perfectionist and a nonconformist.
—New York Times, 25 July 2022
Fedoras, trilbys and Panamas seem to proclaim the wearer as either an extravagant nonconformist or an anti-feminist reactionary.
—New York Times, 15 July 2022
The Return of Tanya Tucker is a fittingly unconventional portrait of a nonconformist.
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2022
See All Example Sentences for nonconformist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonconformist
Adjective
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Other contenders abroad include the dissident group Mujahedeen e-Khalq, more commonly known as the MEK, which has gained high-profile supporters including the former New York mayor and Trump ally Rudy Giuliani.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
25 June 2025
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Tehran also accuses Iranian expatriates and dissident groups sympathetic to Israel of supporting logistics, communication, and funding.—
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
Noun
-
Compared to other presidents, Trump has been more of a maverick and solo act.—
Edward Segal,
Forbes.com,
29 June 2025
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Manfred Thierry Mugler, a fashion maverick known for sharp tailoring, hourglass silhouettes and a futuristic sheen, died in 2022 at age 73.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
26 June 2025
Noun
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May my dissenters someday be willing to log off social media, cross the threshold, shake my hand, and sit down for an actual conversation.—
Julie Gonzales,
Denver Post,
16 June 2025
-
Immigrants and dissenters must not be used as pawns in the game of politics.—
Nicholas Creel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 June 2025
Adjective
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The early detection of viral RNA in wild bird droppings, sometimes preceding official poultry outbreaks, suggests that unconventional surveillance in these biologically rich but infrastructurally sparse areas could play a larger role in pandemic risk mitigation.—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
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Now, in the weeks after its unconventional 22nd anniversary celebration, the label is set to launch one of its biggest — and most personal — compilations yet.—
Britt Julious,
Chicago Tribune,
27 June 2025
Noun
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And, of course, my fantasy went right to some kind of renegade character along the lines of Saw Gerrera.—
Dalton Ross,
EW.com,
16 May 2025
-
The director Doris Wishman was a renegade: a woman who made lurid exploitation films at a time when American underground cinema was a man’s playground.—
Erik Piepenburg,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
Adjective
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In the dissenting view, the star collapses to the edge of the event horizon and then hovers there, or rebounds and explodes.—
Corey S. Powell,
Discover Magazine,
26 Feb. 2015
-
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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Other characters include outcasts, visionaries and eccentrics — all of whom live on the margins as unseen — a former priest, a girl trapped in working her family’s candy stand, a woman who learned preaching from her brother and is a caretaker for her dying housemate.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
18 May 2025
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American eccentrics like Walters long have provided material for satirists across the pond.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nonconformist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonconformist. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
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