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.
Skeptics pointed to the unorthodox nature of a deal that could see Nvidia funding a project that promised to be a major customer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
"She is an unorthodox choice, as all previous Hungarian presidents had political experience," Peter Kreko, head of the Budapest-based Political Capital think tank, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Earlier this month, Bodytraffic celebrated its 20th anniversary in unorthodox style: by taking its final bow in Los Angeles at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
When he received the ball in these areas under pressure, he found unorthodox ways to sweep play into the free players out wide.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
I was punctilious about all court regulations, but I sometimes used unorthodox tactics with witnesses.
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.
