Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

nonconformity

[non-kuh n-fawr-mi-tee]
See more synonyms for nonconformity on Thesaurus.com
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.
Show More

Origin of nonconformity

First recorded in 1610–20; non- + conformity
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for non-conformity

Historical Examples

  • “And that price of non-conformity is too high,” he completed steadily.

    A Breath of Prairie and other stories

    Will Lillibridge

  • Prosecutions for non-conformity were enforced with the utmost severity.

  • The foibles of their youth are still to be traced in faulting and non-conformity.

    In the Open

    Stanton Davis Kirkham

  • He removed to Boston in May, 1644, being probably one of those who were driven away from Virginia for non-conformity.

  • He was ordered before the Bishop, Dec. 12, 1631, to answer for his non-conformity.

British Dictionary definitions for non-conformity

nonconformity

noun
  1. failure or refusal to conform
  2. absence of agreement or harmony
Show More
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 non-conformity

n.

also nonconformity, 1610s, coined in English from non- + conformity. Originally of Church of England clergymen who refused to conform on certain ceremonies.

Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper