nontraditional

adjective

non·​tra·​di·​tion·​al ˌnän-trə-ˈdish-nəl How to pronounce nontraditional (audio)
-ˈdi-shə-nᵊl
: not following or conforming to tradition : not adhering to past practices or conventions : not traditional
a nontraditional family
nontraditional students
nontraditional menu items
Many use nontraditional teaching techniques, and they deliberately draw their students from beyond traditional neighborhood boundaries …Thomas Toch
nontraditionally adverb
… to learn how to build and sell cars nontraditionally Michael Schrage

Examples of nontraditional in a Sentence

a nontraditional couple who are planning a very unconventional wedding
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Golden lived with his mother and grandmother growing up and occasionally lived in hotels and other nontraditional housing. Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025 As solid color gowns continue to go mainstream, colorful florals, whether printed or embellished, are destined to be the next frontier for nontraditional brides looking to stand out. Emily Mercer, Footwear News, 23 Apr. 2025 Guy Fieri was not in attendance. January 2022: During a visit to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Stewart teases that her wedding will likely be nontraditional. Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 21 Apr. 2025 The trade-offs, notably the nontraditional ThinkPad keyboard feel, are worth weighing. PC Magazine, 21 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for nontraditional

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nontraditional was in 1915

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Cite this Entry

“Nontraditional.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nontraditional. Accessed 29 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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