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.
Some recipients may seem like nontraditional grantees, as NPR reportedly receives two grants from the agency totaling $65,000. Solcyré Burga, Time, 5 May 2025 When traditional sources of capital become limited, developers then seek nontraditional sources to fill gaps in their capital stacks. Jill Jones, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025 The same could be said of Lost Highway, which cemented its place as a home for nontraditional successes, like 2000’s O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack, a multiplatinum selling album that won the Grammy Award for album of the year in 2002. Lori Majewski, HollywoodReporter, 30 Apr. 2025 And keeping with the nontraditional theme, all female guests (including Oprah Winfrey!) were asked to wear red. Alex Apatoff, People.com, 29 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 13 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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