traditional

Also tra·di·tion·ar·y

[truh-dish-uh-nl]

adjective

1. of or relating to beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., handed down from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice.

   While in Kyoto I experienced a traditional Japanese tea ceremony.

   We use only traditional, time-tested methods to make our wines.

   They gave us a book of traditional stories from the Inuit culture.

   Synonyms: established, customary, conventional

2. in accordance with customs or beliefs handed down from generation to generation.

   It is traditional in some cultures for the bride to be given away by her father.

   Synonyms: established, customary, conventional

3. designating any of various Indigenous or folk religions that do not have a primary founder, written scriptures, or buildings for public worship, and that revolve around practice, ritual, and ceremony rather than systems of doctrine or belief.

   Many of our First Peoples, especially those living on treaty lands, continue to practice traditional religion.

4. (of a person) adhering or conforming to customs, beliefs, values, etc., handed down from generation to generation; preferring what is old or long established; old-fashioned.

   My mom and dad are very traditional and often clash with modern expectations.

5. of, relating to, or characteristic of the older styles of jazz, especially New Orleans style, Chicago style, Kansas City style, and Dixieland.

traditional

/ trəˌdɪʃəˈnælɪtɪ, trəˈdɪʃənəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or being a tradition

2. of or relating to the style of jazz originating in New Orleans, characterized by collective improvisation by a front line of trumpet, trombone, and clarinet accompanied by various rhythm instruments

Other Word Forms

• traditionality noun
• traditionally adverb
• antitraditional adjective
• antitraditionally adverb
• nontraditional adjective
• nontraditionally adverb
• nontraditionary adjective
• pretraditional adjective
• protraditional adjective
• quasi-traditional adjective
• quasi-traditionally adverb
• semitraditional adjective
• semitraditionally adverb
• untraditional adjective
• untraditionally adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of traditional¹

First recorded in 1585–95; from Medieval Latin trāditiōnālis; equivalent to tradition + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Magazines can no longer afford to make traditional print and web advertising the bedrock of their business.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Achieving smaller, more efficient fungal components will be key to making them viable alternatives to traditional microchips.

Read more on Science Daily

To embody the idea of filial piety to appeal to the Grand Queen Dowager, Yeon creates doenjang-guk, a traditional soybean paste stew, but adds two special ingredients: spinach and clams.

Read more on Salon

After the women opened the season on Saturday with their giant slalom on the Austrian glacier, the men battled poor visibility and welcome wintry weather in their traditional curtain raiser.

Read more on Barron's

“Streaming services and video game developers contend that this bill’s framework, while well-suited to traditional software applications, does not fit their respective products,” Newsom wrote in his signing statement.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• classic 
• classical 
• common 
• conventional 
• historic 
• long-established www.thesaurus.com
• old 
• popular 
• regular 
• time-honored 
• universal