noncanonical
Americanadjective
-
not included within a canon or group of rules.
-
not belonging to the canon of Scripture.
Etymology
Origin of noncanonical
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.
A monk named Paschalis devotes his life to a biography of the noncanonical saint Wilgefortis, a venerated Christian noblewoman who grew a beard to vouchsafe her chastity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025
All told, they confirmed that one-quarter of the 7264 noncanonical ORFs they had tallied made proteins, some 3000 in all.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 24, 2024
Instead, they found that the process follows a noncanonical autophagy pathway.
From Science Daily ● May 3, 2024
That’s not a bad approach; getting arty might just seem imitative, and the noncanonical status of this new chapter allows it not to be too precious about what came before.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2022
Here’s a curiosity: A vintage, noncanonical “Dr. Who” film with Peter Cushing in the title role.
From New York Times ● Apr. 4, 2022
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.