ˌən-kən-ˈven(t)-sh(ə-)nəl
1
as in dissident
deviating from commonly accepted beliefs or practices
the Shakers acquired their name because of their unconventional practice of dancing with shaking movements during worship
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in modern
not bound by traditional ways or beliefs
had unconventional opinions on the raising of children
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in informal
not rigidly following established form, custom, or rules
young, creative people who lead unconventional but fulfilling lifestyles
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unconventional
With unconventional ingredients and creative menus, Epic Universe is showing park goers that good theming and quality can make a great meal.
—
Annemarie Dooling, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 June 2025
Trump responded with a social media post that, although couched in his characteristically unconventional terms, offered an off-ramp from the crisis.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 23 June 2025
Focusing too narrowly on the threats posed by Iran’s military and its proxies risks missing the wider array of asymmetric or unconventional methods of attack that remain intact and available to the regime.
—Dana Stroul, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025
In a 2018 interview with Reese Witherspoon for Hello Sunshine, Ferrera talked about her unconventional career path.
—Maria Yagoda, People.com, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for unconventional
Annemarie Dooling, Bon Appetit Magazine, 25 June 2025
Trump responded with a social media post that, although couched in his characteristically unconventional terms, offered an off-ramp from the crisis.
—Niall Stanage, The Hill, 23 June 2025
Focusing too narrowly on the threats posed by Iran’s military and its proxies risks missing the wider array of asymmetric or unconventional methods of attack that remain intact and available to the regime.
—Dana Stroul, Foreign Affairs, 23 June 2025
In a 2018 interview with Reese Witherspoon for Hello Sunshine, Ferrera talked about her unconventional career path.
—Maria Yagoda, People.com, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for unconventional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unconventional
Adjective
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Eduard Limonov then—an appropriate nom de plume for a dissident poet arriving in 1974 New York, a metropolis of graffiti and project fires, of blackouts and serial killers.—
Ed Simon
June 23,
Literary Hub,
23 June 2025
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Jafar Panahi — the Iranian dissident filmmaker who has been arrested, jailed, and banned from filmmaking numerous times in his home country due to his powerful and provocative work — took home the top prize.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
26 May 2025
Adjective
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Building these year-round, evolving immersive experiences will allow the streaming giant to embed itself further into modern culture and hopefully build loyalty amongst consumers.—
Clara Ludmir,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
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The executive highlighted how Telemundo last year acquired the adaptation rights to Velvet, Atresmedia’s 2014 Spanish drama that became a global phenomenon, and launched its modern adaptation last month.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
19 June 2025
Adjective
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The partnership was a crash course for them both: an informal academy with a class roster of two.—
Josh Rottenberg,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2025
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Chris Jackson/Getty Images At one stage, the king had hoped for a more informal meeting in Scotland, where the royals spend their summer holiday.—
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 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
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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
Adjective
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Bloomberg’s differences with Mamdani, who has expressed anti-Israel views on top of his progressive plan to make child care and buses free in the city, likely motivated him to get involved.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
20 June 2025
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Wilcox’s 10 signings — mostly loans and free agents — formed the bedrock of a side that returned to the Premier League at the first time of asking, under a young, progressive manager in Russell Martin, who Wilcox also brought in from Swansea.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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For now, there’s nothing quite so out-there, although deer blood is the star ingredient in the final dessert, a chocolate-ish (but cocoa-free) fondant served with hazelnut praline and malt ice cream.—
Ann Abel,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2025
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An out-there premise, for sure, but one that has so far worked out better than anyone had a right to expect.—
Lissete Lanuza Sáenz,
StyleCaster,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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For liberal leaning shows, that number shrinks significantly, around 1 million for MSNBC and 558,000 for CNN.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
21 June 2025
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Haley shows strength with liberal Republicans (16 percent), but that bloc makes up a small portion of the party.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 June 2025
Adjective
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The administration’s radical and peremptory elimination of U.S. foreign assistance removed a lever of American influence and telegraphed a level of indifference that will not go unnoticed.—
KORI SCHAKE,
Foreign Affairs,
24 June 2025
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Anyone who reads history knows the only reason any workers anywhere have any sort of rights is because past workers formed unions, and radical, militant ones at that.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unconventional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unconventional. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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