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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
R. Daniel Foster, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
Invariably, memorials devoted to these two nonconformists emphasized their complicated personalities.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 3 July 2024
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
German immigrants founded and built the club, and in later decades Nature Friends became a hub for numerous groups: some esoteric, some nonconformist and others looking for a rustic place to chill.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2025
Invariably, memorials devoted to these two nonconformists emphasized their complicated personalities.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 3 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for nonconformist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonconformist
Adjective
-
During the pavilion’s preview, a brief but loud protest led by Russian dissident disruptors Pussy Riot and the Ukrainian feminist group FEMEN might have been the most exciting thing to happen at the underwhelming and carelessly presented group show of live performance and video art.—
Fiona Sinclair Scott,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
-
The Biennale has been the stage for numerous protests already since its May 5 preview opening, with dissident Russian artist collective Pussy Riot among the demonstrators.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Carl Anka Trent Alexander-Arnold’s England career is a fascinating case study in why team sports can prefer the orthodox to the mavericks.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
-
And what once was a simple majority-rules vote each week has been complicated by the addition of individual immunity idols and advantages that can shift the balance of power from the collective toward maverick individuals.—
Julie Beck,
The Atlantic,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
House Bill 1335 passed on a near-party-line 41-22 vote, with nearly all of the chamber’s Democrats in support against their Republican colleagues and a lone Democratic dissenter.—
The Denver Post,
Denver Post,
2 May 2026
-
That ubiquity created ample opportunity for a poststructural dissenter to come along.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
At first glance, the pairing might seem like an unconventional one, even though both artists are well known for appropriating others’ images.—
Maximilíano Durón,
ARTnews.com,
8 May 2026
-
The country’s ability to credibly threaten commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz actually hinges on multiple layers of cheap and unconventional warfare systems – drones, mines and a fleet of small attack boats, which are harder to detect than traditional naval assets.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
To distinguish itself from all the other renegade action shows out there, showrunner Kyle Killen echoes his project’s cinematic predecessor, albeit with hollow results.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The film stars renegade country singer Elizabeth Cook as a fictionalized version of herself, portraying an artist navigating midlife while contending with an industry that has never fully embraced her.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
28 Apr. 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
-
But what the New Yorker writer left behind is some of the finest prose of the 20th century, focusing primarily on the eccentrics, scalawags, seamen, and other denizens of New York’s dank corners.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
2 May 2026
-
The town’s overflowing with charming Midwest eccentrics, including a cocky mayor (Henry Winkler) and a welcoming barkeep (Lena Headey).—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Nonconformist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonconformist. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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