UNCONVENTIONAL Synonyms: 91 Similar and Opposite Words

unconventional

adjective

ˌən-kən-ˈven(t)-sh(ə-)nəl

Definition of unconventional

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

as in modern

not bound by traditional ways or beliefs had unconventional opinions on the raising of children

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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

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 unconventional His feet do look a step quicker, if still a little unconventional. — Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 An unconventional partnership can bring those ideas together in ways neither industry could achieve alone. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2026 Wilson instead puts the machine through a series of unconventional tests, including walking it like a dog and using it as a golf tee. — Sameen Chaudhry, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026 The unconventional approach to the documentary genre is what convinced Rosso to greenlight the project. — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unconventional

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unconventional

Adjective

Those include bringing the Kurdish peshmerga security forces in northern Iraq under control of the central government’s military and expelling Iranian Kurdish dissident groups and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, that have bases in the region.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026
In addition to sharing that expertise with Mexican cartels, the use of drones in Colombia has also become commonplace among FARC dissident groups.

— Sol Amaya, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of dissident

Adjective

What may have surprised even modern sports fans, however, was Ole Miss' suing two of its former players who followed former Rebels coach Lane Kiffin to his new position as head football coach at LSU.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
In the heart of East Nashville, this two-bedroom home is perfect for families and those looking for a long-term stay topped with modern appliances and laundry.

— Sara Sturek, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of modern

Adjective

That calculation can reveal a sizable amount of informal self-insurance that never received the same planning, funding or governance as other financial obligations.

— Randy Sadler, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Around 400 former students and leading industry professionals made the trek from Paris for a day of conferences and informal gatherings.

— Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of informal

Adjective

The Fed’s interest rate-setting committee is divided and saw the most dissenting votes in more than three decades last month.

— Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 13 May 2026
Board member Renee Paschall cast the lone dissenting vote on the final package.

— Elizabeth Sander, San Antonio Express-News, 19 Aug. 2022

Definition of dissenting

Adjective

When a Black professor suggests that the protesting students are infringing on their classmates’ right to use shared areas, her white counterparts shake their heads in disgust for her refusal to capitulate to progressive groupthink.

— Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
The inherent challenge in making films dealing with progressive illness is not succumbing to an inescapably formulaic structure that can’t help but go with the territory.

— Michael Rechtshaffen, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of progressive

Adjective

Smith is having a banner year, with a solo show at Graham and a survey at MASS MoCA, plus an exhibition at Waldo, Tobias Czudej’s seasonal space in an out-there part of Maine.

— Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 11 Sep. 2026
They’re made from a faux leather that, frankly, looks really expensive, and are available in 20 colors, including some more out-there prints.

— Kaelin Dodge, InStyle, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of out-there

Adjective

In contrast, Nate Coulter, executive director of the Central Arkansas Library System, filed a lawsuit regarding Act 372 of 2023, the common-sense library law, in Fayetteville before liberal Judge Timothy Brooks.

— Robert Steinbuch, Arkansas Online, 18 Sep. 2026
Other liberal economists disdain labor share as a useful metric, or see it as a distraction from sober policy analysis.

— Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of liberal

Adjective

Niacinamide soothes and evens tone, while rice bran extract conditions skin and helps defend against free-radical damage.

— Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 18 Sep. 2026
Medical advances and especially vaccination — a radical concept, once — have nearly eliminated childhood diseases that killed up to half of children before age 5 when the nation was founded.

— Jonathan Fahey, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026