Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

nonclassical

American  
[non-klas-i-kuhl] / nɒnˈklæs ɪ kəl /

adjective

  1. not classical or contrary to classical precepts.

  2. Physics. pertaining to a law, theory, or observation that cannot be expressed or understood in terms of Newtonian physics.


Other Word Forms

  • nonclassically adverb

Etymology

Origin of nonclassical

First recorded in 1925–30; non- + classical

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.

Phil appointment also was heralded by nonclassical musicians — including songwriter-guitarist Yordano and Venezuelan singer Nella Rojas, who worked with Dudamel on the 2020 documentary “Free Color.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 8, 2023

And the engineers who worked on “Chloë and the Next 20th Century,” the latest album from onetime Seattleite and current Sub Pop star Father John Misty, are up for best engineered album, nonclassical.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 4, 2023

And nonclassical sounds find their way in — little reminders of a world outside the concert hall and traces of the humanity often left behind in the commandeering conductor’s wake.

From Washington Post • Oct. 14, 2022

On a large scale, in this year’s nonclassical music, muchness found suchness.

From New York Times • Dec. 16, 2015

Yet even in their nonclassical Greek, the Gospels still convey an electrical power; they can move and excite and convert.

From The New Yorker • May 6, 1955