unconventional
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unconventional
First recorded in 1830–40; un- 1 + conventional
Explanation
To be unconventional is to act, dress, speak, or otherwise exist out of the bounds of cultural norms. If you eat cheeseburgers for breakfast, that's somewhat unconventional. Anything that's nonconformist or out of the ordinary can be described as unconventional. Every culture has its own conventions — or norms — and what may be unconventional in one region might be typical in another. The perception of what's unconventional is determined by context.
Vocabulary lists containing unconventional
Power Prefix: un-
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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.
The unconventional approach helped him record the fastest debut marathon ever by an American.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
Even so, the team believes the findings offer a strong clue and could open new directions for studying unconventional superconductivity.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
His unconventional ceramics, like his painting, tend to be massively scaled and edge closer to sculpture than functional objects.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Every time the filmmaker’s typically unconventional ideas threaten to tilt the movie too far askew, the sisters bring “Bucking Fastard” back on the straight and narrow.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
He rambles on, joking that perhaps Asher Wing of the Phoenix Riders—well-known for unconventional draft picks—has figured out something that the rest of us haven’t.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
