How to Use nonconformist in a Sentence

nonconformist

noun
  • He was a nonconformist in college but now wears a three-piece suit to work every day.
  • They were stubborn nonconformists who chose to be arrested instead of obeying the laws.
  • Hamilton’s latest struggles as a nonconformist are not as amusing.
    — Steve Nadis, Discover Magazine, 19 Dec. 2011
  • 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
  • Ye, however, was widely known to be both a perfectionist and a nonconformist.
    — New York Times, 25 July 2022
  • Dearden will topline the pilot as Karen Wolff, a nonconformist who secretly wishes to fit in and be accepted.
    — Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2018
  • Portland’s transformation from gritty industrial burgh into haven for the quirky and nonconformist was all but complete.
    — oregonlive, 7 Jan. 2022
  • For the rest of her life, Lock remained active among the English nonconformists, who later became known as Puritans.
    — Jamie Quatro, The New Yorker, 5 Aug. 2019
  • Based on Jerry Spinelli’s young adult novel, the movie follows a teenage nonconformist with a ukulele in tow who arrives at a high school in small-town Arizona.
    — Kathryn Shattuck, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2020
  • Of her half-dozen siblings, Aimée was the wild child, an unapologetic rule breaker and inspiration to nonconformists everywhere.
    — Kate Siber, Outside Online, 24 Apr. 2018
  • Relatives and children of nonconformists were disadvantaged, their life chances limited.
    — Paul Roderick Gregory, WSJ, 23 Aug. 2017
  • As nonconformists and dissenters drop out of the conversation, the deliberation becomes more circular and more extreme.
    — Noah Rothman, National Review, 25 July 2019
  • In Schy, Bryson DeChambeau found a fellow nonconformist, another square in golf’s hidebound circles.
    — Karen Crouse, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2016
  • Conversely, favoring one style or group can unfairly exclude nonconformists from the historical picture.
    — Richard B. Woodward, WSJ, 4 Sep. 2018
  • 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
  • The franchise, which is known for player evaluation, has had its share of nonconformists and must have every expectation that Brown can dial back his temperament and need for attention.
    — Sally Jenkins, courant.com, 10 Sep. 2019
  • The Return of Tanya Tucker is a fittingly unconventional portrait of a nonconformist.
    — Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2022
  • Fedoras, trilbys and Panamas seem to proclaim the wearer as either an extravagant nonconformist or an anti-feminist reactionary.
    — New York Times, 15 July 2022
  • For that matter, why put non-binary people or gender nonconformists on the spot when each aspect of human identity — race, ability, sexuality, happiness, health — exists on a spectrum?
    — Karla L. Miller, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2020
  • The nonconformists of the game have disappeared slowly, and many players seem to be more concerned about promoting their brands, improving their social-media followings or auditioning for a post-career job as a baseball analyst.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2026
  • Considering that the Belgian nonconformist set out to challenge the fashion system—not just with his designs, but also with his way of conducting business—the industry’s current fixation on him is more than a little ironic.
    — Vogue, 21 Aug. 2017
  • Considering that the people who were attracted to, and could survive training for, a career in air-traffic control were often social and emotional nonconformists, these tests were widely understood to be coercive, if not punitive.
    — Gregory Pardlo, The New Yorker, 12 Feb. 2017
  • Tan found inspiration in such nonconformists as Jarmusch and Lynch, and film became her favorite language (clips from classics of the auteur canon punctuate the doc, to variously witty and stirring effect).
    — Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2018
  • Pink is once again playing the part of the mainstream’s favorite nonconformist, singing of insecurities and imperfect relationships replete with drinking and fighting, but with an idealism that shines through and ensures maximum marketability.
    — Joe Coscarelli, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2017
  • But repression of public dissent remains fierce and widespread, with state security agents harassing nonconformists ranging from independent journalists to ordinary citizens who complain about public services.
    — Washington Post, 15 Nov. 2019
  • Indeed, looting museums was one of the charges that the authorities leveled against Parajanov, a nonconformist who was persecuted and imprisoned on suspicions of homosexuality and became a cause célèbre among Western cinephiles.
    — New York Times, 24 May 2018

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nonconformist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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