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
Younger consumers today are more willing to take risks and explore flexible paths to homeownership— whether that means buying a fixer-upper, embracing unconventional financing, or accepting higher mortgage rates for the sake of getting in the market.
—
Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025
But there is a place for a streamer like that to do unconventional, high-quality content.
—Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 8 July 2025
Even more unconventional is the way these portals are arrayed and allotted.
—Brett Berk, Robb Report, 8 July 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for unconventional
Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025
But there is a place for a streamer like that to do unconventional, high-quality content.
—Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 8 July 2025
Even more unconventional is the way these portals are arrayed and allotted.
—Brett Berk, Robb Report, 8 July 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for unconventional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unconventional
Adjective
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Pro-America conservatives should take a great deal of ‘dissident’ content with a few caviar spoons of salt, so to speak.—
Wilfred Reilly,
National Review,
9 July 2025
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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
Adjective
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Even with higher on-average incomes, gay parents face the same challenges of the modern economy as straight ones — from student loan repayments to a carton of eggs.—
Sam Raus,
Oc Register,
13 July 2025
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These modern, design-forward homes have shared amenities like a sauna, a cold plunge, a putting green, and a basketball court.—
Abby Price,
Travel + Leisure,
13 July 2025
Adjective
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Too informal with answers and language The team acknowledges that Gen Z’s use of slang is one of their defining traits.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes.com,
19 July 2025
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As Home Depot spread across America beginning in the 1980s, an informal economy of day laborers looking for work, mostly from Mexico and South America, grew around the company’s sprawling parking lots in cities and suburbs with large immigrant populations.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
18 July 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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Commissioner of Indian Affairs John Collier took a more progressive approach to Native issues.—
Debra Utacia Krol,
AZCentral.com,
13 July 2025
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Last season, 33 per cent of his total carries in the Premier League were progressive, defined as carries greater than five metres and move the ball at least five metres towards the opposition goal — only Jeremy Doku (38 per cent) had a higher share among players who played at least 900 minutes.—
David Ornstein,
New York Times,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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Guests did not shy from donning some of the designer’s more out-there creations.—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
9 July 2025
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Plus, not all pre-employment tests are as out-there as Olive Garden’s and FedEx’s.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
9 July 2025
Adjective
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With the three liberal justices in dissent, the court on Monday paused an order from U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Boston, who issued a preliminary injunction reversing the layoffs and calling into question the broader plan.—
Mark Sherman,
Chicago Tribune,
14 July 2025
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The model for these ecosystems comes from Colorado, where in the mid 2000s a liberal donor collective is credited with helping Democrats take and keep control of the statehouse.—
Kayla Dwyer,
IndyStar,
14 July 2025
Adjective
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There is set to be an update on a working group tasked with addressing pressing issues over cricket’s three formats, including a radical plan to split Test nations into two divisions.—
Tristan Lavalette,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
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But his defense of liberalism, which rejects considerations of what anyone deserves, is in some ways more radical than many flashier schools of thought.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
15 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unconventional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unconventional. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.
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