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.

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nonconformity British  

/ ˌnɒnkənˈfɔːmɪtɪ /

noun

1. failure or refusal to conform

2. absence of agreement or harmony

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Etymology

Origin of nonconformity

First recorded in 1610–20; non- + conformity

Example Sentences

It’s astonishing how quickly the nonconformity of crypto turned into mainstream “number go up” speculation and then grift.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 18, 2026

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

For the target, as “Fellow Travelers” intuits, isn’t queerness, or racial equality, or anti-capitalism per se, but nonconformity of any sort, which power seeks to stamp out for its own preservation.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 10, 2023

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

It’s based on the concepts of Emerson’s “Self-Reliance,” and it’s about how The Taker cured his loneliness at his old school through nonconformity and inconsistency.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti