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

---

noun

1. bridge another word for convention

Synonym Usage

See formal ¹.

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of conventional

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

Explanation

Conventional is an adjective for things that are normal, ordinary, and following the accepted way. Ho-hum. This word describes what is typical and ordinary and that which follows accepted standards of behavior or taste. This is a word that's current definition is still very similar to its Latin root, conventionalis, which is "pertaining to an agreement." One way this word is used is with respect to conventional weapons, as in those "not using, making, or involving nuclear weapons or energy; nonnuclear."

Example Sentences

This time, it’s four episodes devoted to two outrages, the first of which involves the vanishing of what has become conventional forensic evidence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026

And it was thrilling to see Storer turn conventional mythology on its head — Carmy got everything he wanted, including those stars, but not before he accepted that it wasn’t what he needed.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 29, 2026

Compared with conventional asphalt, PMA is more flexible and better able to resist cracking, rutting, and water damage, making it well suited to Hawaii's tropical climate.

From Science Daily • Jun. 28, 2026

The new reactors also use different technology from conventional plants, ruling out the kind of cascading disasters seen at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, and allowing for far simpler, cheaper construction.

From Barron's • Jun. 28, 2026

The profits in stockbroking, along with those in the more conventional sorts of bond broking, had been squashed by Internet competition.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Related Words

• current
• ordinary
• regular
• traditional
• typical