nonstandard
Americanadjective
-
not standard.
-
not conforming in pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, etc., to the usage characteristic of and considered acceptable by most educated native speakers; lacking in social prestige or regionally or socially limited in use.
a nonstandard dialect; nonstandard English.
-
Mathematics. of or relating to a generalized system of numbers that includes the real numbers but also includes infinite and infinitesimal numbers.
nonstandard analysis.
adjective
-
denoting or characterized by idiom, vocabulary, etc, that is not regarded as correct and acceptable by educated native speakers of a language; not standard
-
deviating from a given standard
Usage
A term labeled Nonstandard in this dictionary is one that is thought to be characteristic of the speech of persons with little education—a term that is often regarded as a marker of low social status.
Etymology
Origin of nonstandard
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Scrolling Nonstandard McDonald’s can sometimes feel like strolling a graveyard.
From Slate • Dec. 30, 2020
The Nonstandard McDonald’s account’s mission is, admirably, “preserving the only architectural heritage of the western world.”
From Slate • Dec. 30, 2020
No, my preferred method of armchair tourism is the Nonstandard McDonald’s Twitter account.
From Slate • Dec. 30, 2020
And that’s the real lynchpin of the Nonstandard McDonald’s account.
From Slate • Dec. 30, 2020
Nonstandard spellings have been maintained, e.g. "intrusted", "dryest", "smouldering", "patroled", "tragical", "unnegotiable", "quartette", "gayety", "indorsed", "reëntered".
From Mississippi Outlaws and the Detectives Don Pedro and the Detectives; Poisoner and the Detectives by Pinkerton, Allan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.