Unconventional

How to spell unconventional

14 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce unconventional

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does unconventional mean?

1. adjectiveNot based on or conforming to what is generally done or believed; out of the ordinary.

Unconventional in a sentence

• Her unconventional approach to marketing surprised the whole board.

• The couple chose an unconventional venue for the wedding, a converted warehouse.

Where does unconventional come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word is built on the Latin verb convenire, which literally meant 'to come together' or 'to assemble', formed from con- 'together' and venire 'to come'. From that verb came the noun conventio, an agreement or meeting, which gave English 'convention' in the sense of an accepted custom that people have effectively agreed upon. The adjective 'conventional' followed to describe anything that conforms to such established custom, entering English in the 1400s and 1500s. The negative form 'unconventional' is comparatively modern, appearing in the early 1800s once the prefix 'un-' was freely attached to mean 'not'. The same venire root surfaces in everyday relatives such as 'venue', 'avenue', and 'invent', and the doubled-up syllables in the middle (con-ven-tion-al) are exactly where careful writers slow down.

How the word is built

• un- (not)
• con- (together)
• vent (from venire: to come)
• -ion (noun)
• -al (adjective)