conventional

[ kuh n-ven-shuh-nl ]

/ kənˈvɛn ʃə nl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR conventional ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

convenient, 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.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR conventional ON THESAURUS.COM

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 conventionally

The women Peterson photographed were offbeat, eccentric, irreverent, and not conventionally pretty.
Gosta Peterson's Bohemian Rhapsody: Unpacking a Photographer's '60s Secrets|Lizzie Crocker|September 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sitting at the desk was a man in his mid- to late 40s, balding, conventionally dressed in slacks and an Oxford shirt, no tie.
Writing a Novel: Even Making It Up Requires Research|Ridley Pearson|July 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And because Dunham is not a size zero or ‘conventionally’ beautiful, Girls has been hailed as brave and feminist.
Why ‘Girls’ Is Bad for Women|Emma Woolf|March 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Montgomery is part of a small but growing group of conventionally trained physicians disillusioned with traditional medical care.
Doctors Should Start Advocating Dietary Options to Treat Heart Disease|Daniela Drake|July 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The Immigrant is far from a conventionally naturalistic historical film.
Cannes Diary: James Gray’s ‘The Immigrant,’ Starring Marion Cotillard, Shines|Richard Porton|May 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But this we know only because such meaning had been conventionally determined when the symbol was first established.
The Symbolism of Freemasonry|Albert G. Mackey
If the involuntary cry of pain which is conventionally represented by “Oh!”
Language|Edward Sapir
He had the conventionally aristocratic features, thin lips and steely blue eyes.
The Devil's Paw|E. Phillips Oppenheim
The branch of mathematics called the Theory of Equations is conventionally restricted to equations of this type.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia|Various
The two met in a field outside Paris, with seconds, with all the conventionally correct paraphernalia.
Foes|Mary Johnston

British Dictionary definitions for conventionally

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 Forms

conventionally, 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