unorthodox
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unorthodox
Explanation
Unorthodox describes something that goes against the usual ways of doing things. Instead of describing yourself as a terrible speller, you might instead proudly refer to your spelling as unorthodox. The adjective unorthodox originally referred to religion, specifically to a person or practice that went against the traditions of a particular belief. The Greek roots of unorthodox are orthos, or "right," and doxa, or "opinion." So someone whose beliefs are orthodox has "the right opinion," while an unorthodox person does not. The definition has evolved so that unorthodox's meaning is closer to "unusual" or "innovative" than just plain "wrong."
Vocabulary lists containing unorthodox
Power Prefix: un-
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Brave New World
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "U"
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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.
Fred Claire, a former sportswriter who was an unorthodox choice to be the Dodgers’ general manager, helped turn the team into World Series champions in 1988.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Cassie’s methods may be unorthodox, but they’re driven by her ardent desire to remind people that someone is always watching.
From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026
De Zerbi is actively coaching an unorthodox style that goes against these instructions - but getting players to be brave enough to play in congested areas may take some time.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
This woman seems to have a very unorthodox view of hosting — and I wouldn’t assume that it’s new.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
This action was taken purely on my own and my methods were highly unorthodox.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
