SYNONYMS AND RELATED EXPRESSIONS

unconventional

adjective

Departing from customary practices or accepted expectations.

Compare the alternatives Definition and examples

Local English device voice, when available. This is not a recorded dictionary pronunciation.

Departing from custom

Closest synonyms

unorthodox unusual nontraditional nonconformist atypical innovative

Related words and expressions

These extend or explain the idea and may require a different sentence structure.

Usage distinction

Unconventional departures from custom may be useful or undesirable. Innovative implies novelty, while eccentric can suggest conspicuous personal oddity.

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CHECK THE MEANING IN CONTEXT

See unconventional in use

The architect proposed an unconventional entrance through the central courtyard.

Dictionary practice example.

For a fictional science-fiction book display, a trainee proposed a novel arrangement that let visitors follow a character's choices through several shelves. The route was unconventional because the shop usually grouped books only by author surname.

From A Different Kind of Display.

Compare an alternative with the original word in each passage. Shared meanings do not make every pair interchangeable.

Synonym reference scope and sources

The groups distinguish the senses selected for this study entry. Closest synonyms and broader related expressions have separate labels. The listed sources support lexical selection; not every phrase is a direct quotation from a source.

How the synonym reference was prepared / WordNet 3.0 license

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