NONCONFORMIST Synonyms: 70 Similar and Opposite Words

nonconformist 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of nonconformist

as in dissident

deviating from commonly accepted beliefs or practices a cattle-ranching family that took some time in getting used to their daughter's nonconformist adoption of vegetarianism

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

nonconformist

2 of 2

noun

ˌnän-kən-ˈfȯr-mist

as in maverick

a person who does not conform to generally accepted standards or customs always the nonconformist, she insisted on wearing red on St. Patrick's Day and not green like everyone else

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in dissenter

a person who believes, teaches, or advocates something opposed to accepted beliefs a nonconformist who was excommunicated from her church for her teachings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of nonconformist

Adjective

Once ridiculed and dismissed for his nonconformist views on vaccines, nutrition, and exercise, Kennedy now leads a vast legion of followers and acolytes. — Will Carless, USA Today, 17 Jan. 2026 As such, the city takes on its own distinctively sooty, nonconformist character. — Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026

Noun

At least Guillén still speaks his mind on the Sox’s pre- and postgame shows, so maybe there’s hope for nonconformists after all. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026 Unlike her sister Daphne, Eloise's character is a nonconformist regarding society's ideals of what a woman should be, and her outfits portray that. — Kelsie Gibson, PEOPLE, 1 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nonconformist

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nonconformist

Adjective

The head of the United Kingdom’s MI5 spy agency said Iran is trying to strike military sites in Britain, going beyond the traditional targets of dissident Iranians.

— Jared Gans, The Hill, 14 Oct. 2026
The regime transmuted its coercive force into political legitimacy through the spectacular destruction of dissident bodies, restoring reverence for the Eagle.

— Abdelrahman ElGendy, Time, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of dissident

Noun

This fall, Drexler’s wild, maverick sensibility is cropping up all over New York.

— Leslie Camhi, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
The two were photographed together backstage at Nelson’s Fourth of July concert this year, and the country maverick features in a new Talarico online campaign video.

— Walden Green, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of maverick

Noun

The possibility that these faceless leaders might make a deal to prevent being overthrown was dead when the country decided to murder its dissenters before the war began.

— Jim Cramer, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026
Several top critics in Britain and Australia were notably warm towards the film, though both countries, certainly, had dissenters as well.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of dissenter

Noun

Janney’s Silda, the wisecracking eccentric with an ax to grind, is the live wire of the company.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
The public reckonings with these figures’ legacies—the troubled former child star gone too soon, the beloved icon, the cult favorite, the complicated eccentric—have come in a cascade.

— Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of eccentric

Noun

Niger’s ruling junta survived its most serious internal challenge since the 2023 coup after renegade soldiers mutinied in Niamey and Russian Africa Corps fighters helped presidential guards retake a key airbase.

— Chinedu Asadu, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
In some ways, there is a strange kind of unity to these three—all are set during the Depression, all feature stylish renegades.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of renegade

Adjective

The Fed’s interest rate-setting committee is divided and saw the most dissenting votes in more than three decades last month.

— Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 13 May 2026
Board member Renee Paschall cast the lone dissenting vote on the final package.

— Elizabeth Sander, San Antonio Express-News, 19 Aug. 2022

Definition of dissenting

Browse Nearby Words

nonconformism

nonconformist

nonconformists

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Nonconformist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nonconformist. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of nonconformist

adjective

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on nonconformist

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

jilt

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes