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
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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unconventional
Some commenters on social media rose to Olive Oil Candidate’s defense, saying such an interest might be unconventional but a person shouldn’t be penalized for sharing it.
—
Sarah Jackson, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2026
Last summer, Biel opened up about her unconventional bathing routine.
—Hannah Malach, InStyle, 4 Feb. 2026
The team plans to investigate things like unconventional superconductivity, the origins of magnetism, and materials interfaces such as those that occur in batteries.
—IEEE Spectrum, 4 Feb. 2026
After a public scandal upends her life, a single mother moves to a North Carolina beach town with her daughter Iris and joins an unconventional household of women raising their children together.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unconventional
Sarah Jackson, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2026
Last summer, Biel opened up about her unconventional bathing routine.
—Hannah Malach, InStyle, 4 Feb. 2026
The team plans to investigate things like unconventional superconductivity, the origins of magnetism, and materials interfaces such as those that occur in batteries.
—IEEE Spectrum, 4 Feb. 2026
After a public scandal upends her life, a single mother moves to a North Carolina beach town with her daughter Iris and joins an unconventional household of women raising their children together.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for unconventional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unconventional
Adjective
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Many in Syria’s dissident circles at first found Bashar’s awkwardness and shyness appealing.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
6 Feb. 2026
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And anyone who dares to peek behind the curtain—journalists, dissident professors, activists, even, bizarrely, the Iranian president himself—becomes a threat to the regime.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The riots are considered the spark that ignited the modern LGBTQ+-rights movement.—
Michael Collins,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
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Where Iran’s protests stand One month after Iran was rocked by the beginning of the deadliest crackdown in its modern history, the full toll of the regime’s response to nationwide protests is still coming into focus.—
Somayeh Malekian,
ABC News,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Anyone who survived the informal audition went on to meet judges Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Carrie Underwood.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Feb. 2026
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Unlike the specialized literary magazine and its informal cousin, the literary blog, the general-interest newspaper has a kind of noble rapacity, an encyclopedic ambition to wrap its arms around the whole of the world.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Board member Renee Paschall cast the lone dissenting vote on the final package.—
Elizabeth Sander,
San Antonio Express-News,
19 Aug. 2022
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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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Her authority has been challenged in several high-profile cases, diminishing hopes in both progressive and populist MAGA circles for tough antitrust enforcement.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
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According to much of progressive ideology, we are supposed to think about identity all of the time.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Less out-there, sure, but a little too much been-there.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
6 Feb. 2026
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Throughout, the out-there design has been paired with state-of-the-art tech and security upgrades.—
Tori Latham,
Robb Report,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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In the current atmosphere, where so many have been conditioned to believe that the news media is a liberal wasteland, confirmation bias helps with the heavy lifting.—
Brenda Looper,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
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Advertisement Across the aisle, the prospect of Paxton winning the GOP nomination has galvanized Democrats—who face a head-vs-heart choice between two rising liberal stars.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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In a time where fabled bottles are traded and shelved as trophies, Soo Hoo’s decision to open this one is radical.—
Pin Yen Tan 9 min ago,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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Clearly some conservatives are still willing to hold the more radical factions of the party to account.—
Laura K. Field,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Unconventional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unconventional. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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