conventional

[ kuh n-ven-shuh-nl ]

/ kənˈvɛn ʃə nl /

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adjective

conforming or adhering to accepted standards, as of conduct or taste: conventional behavior.

pertaining to convention or general agreement; established by general consent or accepted usage; arbitrarily determined: conventional symbols.

ordinary rather than different or original: conventional phraseology.

not using, making, or involving nuclear weapons or energy; nonnuclear: conventional warfare.

Art.

in accordance with an accepted manner, model, or tradition.
(of figurative art) represented in a generalized or simplified manner.

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

Law. resting on consent, express or implied.

of or relating to a convention or assembly.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

convenor, convent, conventicle, convention, convention center, conventional, conventional sign, conventional thoracoplasty, conventional weapon, conventional wisdom, conventionalism

Origin of conventional

From the Late Latin word conventiōnālis, dating back to 1575–85. See convention, -al¹

SYNONYMS FOR conventional

1 See formal¹.

2 usual, habitual, customary.

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Related forms

con·ven·tion·al·ist, nouncon·ven·tion·al·ly, adverban·ti·con·ven·tion·al, adjectivean·ti·con·ven·tion·al·ly, adverb

an·ti·con·ven·tion·al·ist, noun, adjectivenon·con·ven·tion·al, adjectivenon·con·ven·tion·al·ly, adverbqua·si-con·ven·tion·al, adjectivequa·si-con·ven·tion·al·ly, adverbsem·i·con·ven·tion·al, adjectivesem·i·con·ven·tion·al·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for conventionalist

He would have been a conventionalist and epicurean, unless he had been a seer.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 16, No. 96, October 1865|Various
The son of a Conventionalist who had not favored the King's death.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z|Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
It was evident John Grier's act was thought by the conventionalist to be a wicked blunder.
Carnac's Folly, Complete|Gilbert Parker
Romme (brother of the Conventionalist, principal author of the Calendar) laid the foundations of our very important science.
The Sea|Jules Michelet

You're only a conventionalist, like everybody else—you're not a moralist.
Sally Bishop|E. Temple Thurston

British Dictionary definitions for conventionalist

conventional

/ (kənˈvɛnʃənəl) /

adjective

following the accepted customs and proprieties, esp in a way that lacks originalityconventional habits

established by accepted usage or general agreement

of or relating to a convention or assembly

law based upon the agreement or consent of parties

arts represented in a simplified or generalized way; conventionalized

(of weapons, warfare, etc) not nuclear

noun

bridge another word for convention (def. 7)

Derived Formsconventionally, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for conventionalist

conventional

adj.

late 15c., "of the nature of an agreement," from Late Latin conventionalis "pertaining to convention or agreement," from Latin conventionem (see convention). Meaning "of the nature of a convention" is from 1812, now rare; "established by social convention" is from 1761; that of "following tradition" is from 1831; that of "non-nuclear" is from 1955. Realted: Conventionality; conventionally.