nontraditional

British  

/ ˌnɒntrəˈdɪʃənəl /

adjective

1. not traditional; unconventional

   nontraditional lifestyles

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Explanation

Anything that's different from the usual customs or traditions is nontraditional. Riding a unicycle to school is a nontraditional form of transportation. Tradition is the passing on of beliefs and rules through the generations. People or things that don't follow these traditions, instead inventing new ways of doing things, are nontraditional. Nontraditional schools are different from most — maybe they don't have grades, or have classes open to students of any age. For a long time, jobs like being a doctor or a soldier or a truck driver were considered nontraditional for women, although this has changed somewhat through the years.

Example Sentences

Health insurers Oscar and Centene are expected to benefit as AI-driven job disruption expands the nontraditional workforce.

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

Nonprofits, academics and other nontraditional developers have generated evidence for some new uses of generic drugs, but there’s no clear path for them to secure label updates.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

What’s more exciting to me is seeing a whole new subculture develop — all-cash shows at nontraditional venues, and releasing your own music offline.

From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026

Robinhood traders flocked to an array of investment options, both traditional and nontraditional, as they sought to cope with the volatility brought upon by the Iran war.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026

“Studies show that in single-sex schools, girls take more nontraditional courses like advanced science. They worry less about how they look, they’re more competitive, and they have higher self-esteem.”

From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart

Related Words

• futuristic
• state-of-the-art