nonconformist

[ non-kuhn-fawr-mist ]

noun

1. a person who refuses to conform, as to established customs, attitudes, or ideas.

   Synonyms: loner, individualist, dissident, dissenter

2. (often initial capital letter) a Protestant in England who is not a member of the Church of England; dissenter.

Nonconformist

¹

/ ˌnɒnkənˈfɔːmɪst /

noun

1. a member of a Protestant denomination that dissents from an Established Church, esp the Church of England

adjective

1. of, relating to, or denoting Nonconformists

nonconformist

²

/ ˌnɒnkənˈfɔːmɪst /

noun

1. a person who does not conform to generally accepted patterns of behaviour or thought

adjective

1. of or characterized by behaviour that does not conform to generally accepted patterns

Derived Forms

• ˌNonconˈformity, noun
• ˌnonconˈformism, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of nonconformist¹

First recorded in 1610–20; non- + conformist

Example Sentences

But Tyler, ever the nonconformist, released his eighth studio album at 06:00 EST on Monday, three days after the week's chart tracking began.

From BBC

If you want to turn heads and keep warm this fall, look to the ultimate nonconformist, Rick Owens, for a chic solution with this dust gray knit bodysuit.

From Los Angeles Times

Her depictions of their habits and foibles are laced with considerable wit — and subjective assessments: “rascally” California scrub jays, “voracious” Townsend’s warblers, “solitary nonconformist” hermit thrushes, murderous crows, fiercely competitive hummingbirds.

From Los Angeles Times

In Salar Abdoh’s Tehran, a city more populous than New York City, the vagaries of the human heart create a surprisingly unbridled and nonconformist tableau against a backdrop most Westerners view as monolithic, repressive, theocratic.

From Seattle Times

Are you looking for a nonconformist family vacation that teaches your kids radical self-reliance, self-expression, decommodification, participation and survival?

From Los Angeles Times