nontraditional

adjective

non·​tra·​di·​tion·​al ˌnän-trə-ˈdish-nəl 

-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

Synonyms

• broad-minded
• liberal
• nonconventional
• nonorthodox
• open-minded
• progressive
• radical
• unconventional
• unorthodox

Examples of nontraditional in a Sentence

a nontraditional couple who are planning a very unconventional wedding

Recent Examples on the Web

Of the 32 antibiotics under development against bugs on the WHO’s 2024 bacterial priority pathogen list, the organization noted, only 12 took nontraditional approaches, which is vital for staving off the rise of drug resistance. —Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2024

Where many Hollywood stars follow trends and adhere to the glitzy status quo, Sevigny delightfully strays from the pack, choosing distinctive looks that are modern, nontraditional, and just downright cool. —Christian Allaire, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2024

McMullen was trying to describe his company's relentless preoccupation with nontraditional competitors on all sides, such as Walmart, Amazon, Costco and even Dollar General.. —Alexander Coolidge, The Enquirer, 7 Sep. 2024

Look For Money-Saving Solutions One nontraditional way to do market sizing in new markets where there are limited studies is to look at the dollar value that can be saved or made via the adoption of the solution, and then understand the impact the solution can have on that gain or loss. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 16 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing nontraditional

• nontraditional family
• nontraditional student