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
By the end of the movie, police ended the crisis in a rather unconventional way, but all of the hostages managed to survive, echoing the real-life events the film is based on.
—
Jordana Comiter, People.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Clarke’s 1985 doc Ornette: Made in America took an unconventional approach to chronicling the life and music of saxophonist Ornette Coleman.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2025
The narrative isn’t the only unconventional element.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2025
The mill embraces the beauty of imperfection and asymmetry in Chaos Aesthetics, a trend concept that favors expressive textures, unconventional finishes and rich tactile experiences.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unconventional
Jordana Comiter, People.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Clarke’s 1985 doc Ornette: Made in America took an unconventional approach to chronicling the life and music of saxophonist Ornette Coleman.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2025
The narrative isn’t the only unconventional element.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 2025
The mill embraces the beauty of imperfection and asymmetry in Chaos Aesthetics, a trend concept that favors expressive textures, unconventional finishes and rich tactile experiences.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unconventional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unconventional
Adjective
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In one case, operatives posing as art dealers interested in purchasing a work by a dissident artist secretly installed surveillance equipment in his workplace and a GPS tracker on his car.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Apr. 2025
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He’d been allowed through the security checkpoint to attend a session given by a professor at the university, a Tunisian dissident and political exile, a specialist in the liberation movements of the Global South.—
David Bezmozgis,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Apostolic churches believe in modern day apostles and prophets, or those who claim to communicate directly with God and receive gifts of the Holy Spirit.—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
20 Apr. 2025
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For us as Jews, Easter has far more sinister overtones — of the passages from the Gospels that gave birth to modern antisemitism, of passion plays, pogroms, and emotional fuel for the literal fires that consumed our people.—
Joshua Stanton,
New York Daily News,
20 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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These open-branching shrubs make an informal hedge that requires little pruning.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
25 Apr. 2025
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In an informal presentation Monday to the Planning and Zoning Commission, Evjen and his consultants said the project would cluster the condos and parking to provide acreage for a wide conservation easement around the pond.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 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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Francis, who was a progressive leader of the church, had appointed roughly 80% of the cardinals who are eligible to vote for the new pope, according to Miles Pattenden, historian of the Catholic Church at Oxford University.—
Megan Forrester,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2025
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Joseph Tobin Joseph Tobin, 72, is a highly progressive candidate for the Church and has amassed substantial influence in the U.S.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
21 Apr. 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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Leading the charge for the religious parents was lawyer Eric Baxter, who got a grilling from the court's three liberal justices.—
Nina Totenberg,
NPR,
22 Apr. 2025
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The court’s three liberal justices all vigorously challenged the parents’ request in the case, seeing opt-out rights as a slippery slope.—
Devin Dwyer,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Living in Mexico is a radical act of joy, freedom, and reclamation.—
Essence,
Essence,
24 Apr. 2025
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Under the previous administration, SSA promoted radical and wasteful DEI and gender ideology while employees worked from home.—
Ross Rosenfeld,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unconventional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unconventional. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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