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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unconventional
The Trump administration’s unconventional and unpredictable foreign policy is creating openings in Africa, Latin America, and among China’s Asian neighbors.
—
Jude Blanchette, Foreign Affairs, 27 Mar. 2025
Patience, Moonbeam is a sonically surprising and structurally unconventional indie rock record.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 26 Mar. 2025
Across sports and eras, there are too many examples of athletes with ‘unconventional’ form succeeding for ‘good form’ — whatever that is — to be truly necessary.
—Liam Tharme, The Athletic, 23 Mar. 2025
Barnes had an unconventional approach to art collecting, particularly through his focus on juxtaposing fine art with decorative pieces.
—Meredith Wolf Schizer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unconventional
Jude Blanchette, Foreign Affairs, 27 Mar. 2025
Patience, Moonbeam is a sonically surprising and structurally unconventional indie rock record.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 26 Mar. 2025
Across sports and eras, there are too many examples of athletes with ‘unconventional’ form succeeding for ‘good form’ — whatever that is — to be truly necessary.
—Liam Tharme, The Athletic, 23 Mar. 2025
Barnes had an unconventional approach to art collecting, particularly through his focus on juxtaposing fine art with decorative pieces.
—Meredith Wolf Schizer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unconventional
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unconventional
Adjective
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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
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Rumors about an investigation against He first surfaced among the Chinese dissident community following China’s annual political meetings last month.—
Nectar Gan,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The curved, low-profile silhouette creates a modern spin on the otherwise classic design, while the chair’s high-density foam filling offers superior support.—
Megan Schaltegger,
People.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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Colin from Accounts is a romantic comedy about flawed, funny people choosing each other and embracing the all-too-relatable chaos of modern life.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Bloomberg has gone so far as to report that Zaslav is in early, informal talks regarding potential successors.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Apr. 2025
-
The expectation has always been that the president would behave in a certain way, abiding by a generations-long yet informal agreement about the role and discretion of the administrative state.—
Jay Cost,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 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
-
California voters further reversed progressive policies by passing Proposition 36, which enhances penalties for theft and drug offenses.—
Carson Becker,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Mar. 2025
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Alon-Lee Green, the founding co-director of Standing Together, a progressive grassroots movement, told CNN that young people aren’t at fault for the extremist attitudes that are dividing wider Israeli society.—
Kara Fox,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Every decade in fact seems to have had its own rabble-rouser whose shunning of norms have pushed the medium further and further, even if their own material was too out-there to gain a wide audience.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
28 Mar. 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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Rest assured, the play makes liberal use of the Netflix show’s signature electro-ethereal theme music.—
Sarah Bahr,
New York Times,
9 Apr. 2025
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The Supreme Court declined to lift the lower court’s order, with Barrett and another conservative, Chief Justice John Roberts, joining the three liberal justices: Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sotomayor.—
Niall Stanage,
The Hill,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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When Grant became president in 1869 and tried to crack down on the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups, ex-Confederates demonized him as a radical extremist who had betrayed his promises to Lee.—
Made by History,
Time,
9 Apr. 2025
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Europe is in the midst of its own radical transformation, singed and stunned by Trump's tariffs, constant insults, undermining NATO and siding with Russia over Ukraine.—
Axios,
Axios,
9 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unconventional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unconventional. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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