nonconventional

adjective

ˌnän-kən-ˈvench-nəl How to pronounce nonconventional (audio)
Definition of nonconventionalnext
as in unconventional
not bound by traditional ways or beliefs his nonconventional cures were the subject of some controversy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 nonconventional Green Berets are training alongside Mexico’s elite marine infantry units in conventional and nonconventional combat techniques. — Risa Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2025 After building two lucrative businesses, the serial entrepreneur and attorney set her sights on ensuring her family was also a success in a nonconventional way. — Jasmine Browley, Essence, 6 Oct. 2024 The house was founded in 1966 by Spanish fashion maverick Paco Rabanne, whose futuristic vision and use of nonconventional materials became a reference in Space Age chic. — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019 Oil producers are working harder than ever to replace their reserves and, increasingly, turning to nonconventional petroleum sources such as Canada’s tarry bitumen and ultra-deepwater offshore wells. — IEEE Spectrum, 30 Aug. 2012 See All Example Sentences for nonconventional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonconventional
  1. unconventional
  2. modern
  3. liberal
  4. progressive
  5. nontraditional
  6. contemporary
  7. radical
Adjective
  • Built to supply water to the surrounding area, the structure was transformed into a private residence in the early 1980s by local architect Doug Rucker who embraced its unconventional shape rather than alter it.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 18 July 2026
  • The development is a significant step toward expanding future nuclear fuel supply through unconventional uranium resources.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 18 July 2026
Definition of unconventional
Adjective
  • The modern version of Newcastle United would not exist without Kevin Keegan.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 21 July 2026
  • Tristan Tate has built a following by creating and promoting a similar take on modern masculinity.
    — Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 20 July 2026
Definition of modern
Adjective
  • Kelaidis reads their popularity as evidence that historical scholarship has become a kind of liberal jeremiad, offering moral reassurance through historical analogy.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
  • The voters filed the lawsuit in Dane County Circuit Court, located in Wisconsin's liberal capital city of Madison.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 23 July 2026
Definition of liberal
Adjective
  • Jackson has supported progressive positions such as Medicare for All.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 July 2026
  • His keenness and ability to be progressive in his passing means Bamba has the potential to be more than merely a midfield ‘destroyer’.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of progressive
Adjective
  • Ferdon detailed how the crypto currency exchange became one of the biggest brands in the emerging world of nontraditional finance and banking options.
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 3 July 2026
  • Policies often fail to address tokenized assets and nontraditional trading activity, while surveillance systems still rely primarily on traditional broker and exchange data, leaving much of the decentralized and on-chain environment unmonitored.
    — Kelvin Dickenson, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Definition of nontraditional
Adjective
  • In recent years, Rome has attracted a new generation of young creatives, who have set out to blend their contemporary spirits with the Italian capital’s millennia-old history.
    — Francesca Longoni, Architectural Digest, 18 July 2026
  • These themes are not siloed to overtly evangelistic channels, like contemporary Christian radio.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 July 2026
Definition of contemporary
Adjective
  • Simultaneously rendering the past less remote while relishing its radical foreignness, Beard presses readers to grapple with alien ideas, reckon with gaps in their knowledge, and confront complexity.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 20 July 2026
  • Reaching mainstream heights was once unthinkable for this radical, uncompromising act, but Paul sensed new horizons in the recording studio.
    — Steve Appleford, SPIN, 20 July 2026
Definition of radical

Browse Nearby Words

noncontroversial
nonconventional
noncooperation
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nonconventional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonconventional. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of aerie

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

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

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
chain-question-mark
Missing Link Quiz July 2026 Five seconds to figure out the word that fits bot...
See All