nonconformity

American  

[non-kuhn-fawr-mi-tee] / ˌnɒn kənˈfɔr mɪ ti /

noun

1. failure or refusal to conform, as with established customs, attitudes, or ideas.

2. lack of conformity or agreement.

3. (often initial capital letter) refusal to conform to the Church of England.

4. Geology. an unconformity that separates crystalline rocks, either igneous or metamorphic, from sedimentary rocks.

---

nonconformity British  

/ ˌnɒnkənˈfɔːmɪtɪ /

noun

1. failure or refusal to conform

2. absence of agreement or harmony

---

Etymology

Origin of nonconformity

First recorded in 1610–20; non- + conformity

Example Sentences

What do you make of the scene from “Encounters at the End of the World” going viral, with people using the image of a penguin walking away from its colony as a symbol of nonconformity?

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

These included books like Uncle Bobby’s Wedding and My Rainbow—stories that portray same-sex couples, gender nonconformity, and affirming representations of queer families.

From Slate • Apr. 23, 2025

His fictional character, a hyperactive, bow-tied man-child, provided subversive messages about nonconformity in films such as “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and his classic Saturday morning TV show, “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.”

From Salon • Jan. 30, 2025

Both silly and subversive and championing nonconformity, the Pee-wee universe was a trippy place, populated by things such as a talking armchair and a friendly pterodactyl.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 31, 2023

Odd values—unthinking school spirit, proms, jockhood—are exalted, while the best values—free thinking, nonconformity, curiosity—are ridiculed.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz