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
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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Iranian dissident filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof (There Is No Evil) had to flee his home country to evade an eight-year prison sentence last year.—
Georg Szalai,
The Hollywood Reporter,
13 Mar. 2025
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When asked questions related to Chinese dissident contemporary artists Ai Weiwei and Gao Zhen (of the Gao Brothers duo), DeepSeek’s replies appeared biased in favor of China’s government.—
The Editors of ARTnews,
ARTnews.com,
29 Jan. 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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Most of the modern canal network originally dates to pre-Hispanic times, more than 1400 years ago.—
Ari Caramanica,
The Conversation,
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
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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
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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
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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
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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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
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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
Adjective
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Lori Vallow Daybell, the mother convicted of killing her children in Idaho after joining a radical religious cult in 2018, is back in court, this time in Arizona, fighting murder conspiracy charges.—
Jessica Boehm,
Axios,
1 Apr. 2025
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In 1970, Santoro joined the radical Roman feminist group Rivolta Femminile (Women’s Revolt), founded that year by art critic and philosopher Carla Lonzi together with artist Carla Accardi and political journalist Elvira Banotti.—
Paola Ugolini,
Artforum,
1 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unconventional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unconventional. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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