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Synonyms

conventional

American  
[kuhn-ven-shuh-nl] / kənˈvɛn ʃə nl /

adjective

  1. conforming or adhering to accepted standards, as of conduct or taste.

    conventional behavior.

  2. pertaining to convention or general agreement; established by general consent or accepted usage; arbitrarily determined.

    conventional symbols.

    Synonyms:
    customary, habitual, usual
  3. ordinary rather than different or original.

    conventional phraseology.

  4. not using, making, or involving nuclear weapons or energy; nonnuclear.

    conventional warfare.

  5. Art.

    1. in accordance with an accepted manner, model, or tradition.

    2. (of figurative art) represented in a generalized or simplified manner.

  6. of or relating to a convention, agreement, or compact.

  7. Law. resting on consent, express or implied.

  8. of or relating to a convention or assembly.


conventional British  
/ kənˈvɛnʃənəl /

adjective

  1. following the accepted customs and proprieties, esp in a way that lacks originality

    conventional habits

  2. established by accepted usage or general agreement

  3. of or relating to a convention or assembly

  4. law based upon the agreement or consent of parties

  5. arts represented in a simplified or generalized way; conventionalized

  6. (of weapons, warfare, etc) not nuclear

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. bridge another word for convention

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See formal 1.

Other Word Forms

  • anticonventional adjective
  • anticonventionalist noun
  • anticonventionally adverb
  • conventionalist noun
  • conventionally adverb
  • nonconventional adjective
  • nonconventionally adverb
  • quasi-conventional adjective
  • quasi-conventionally adverb
  • semiconventional adjective
  • semiconventionally adverb

Etymology

Origin of conventional

From the Late Latin word conventiōnālis, dating back to 1575–85. See convention, -al 1

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.

Spintronics relies on spin, a fundamental property of electrons, to carry and process information in ways that differ from today's conventional electronics.

From Science Daily

“The conventional wisdom is that there isn’t support for that.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Behind the scenes, meanwhile, there are ongoing discussions as to how to allow the drivers to drive in a more conventional way, but it remains to be seen how these will resolve.

From BBC

These simple facts subvert conventional financial wisdom, which says the only stock exposure you need is in the broad indexes.

From MarketWatch

This eliminated the need for slower data transfers to a conventional computer.

From Science Daily