Standard Lemma guide

conventional

adj · noun · 14 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /kənˈvɛnʃənl̩/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: K AH0 N V EH1 N SH AH0 N AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Pertaining to a convention, as in following generally accepted principles, methods and behaviour.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: canonical, typical, customary, traditional, commensurate, compatible, compliant, conformable, conformant, congruent, congruous, consistent, in line, in step, proportionate, uniform, halal, homodox, kosher, orthodox, by the book, allowed, conventional, natural, official, proper, routine

Antonyms: atypical, out of the ordinary, unconventional, nonconventional

2

adj

Meaning 2

Ordinary, commonplace.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • They wear conventional clothes, eat conventional food, and keep conventional hours.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: customary, mundane, typical, average, medial, basic, bog-standard, common, commonplace, common-and-garden, common-or-garden, congruent, consistent, conventional, everyday, expected, garden variety, improminent, natural, normal, ordinary, par for the course, par, plain, plain vanilla, quotidian, regular, routine, run-of-the-mill, standard, standard issue, unexceptional, unremarkable, unstrange, usual, vulgar, wakeaday, workaday

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Banal, trite, hackneyed, unoriginal or clichéd.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: prosaic, stereotypical, banal, bathetic, bromidic, cheesy, stock, clichéd, commonplace, corny, dog-eared, hackneyed, hoary, overdone, overused, overworked, pat, played out, shopworn, stale, threadbare, timeworn, tired, trite, warmed-over, well-worn

Antonyms: imaginative

4

adj

Meaning 4

Pertaining to a weapon which is not a weapon of mass destruction.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: engineering, government, military, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, politics, tools, war, weaponry

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: nuclear

5

adj

Meaning 5

Making use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: agriculture, business, lifestyle

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: organic

6

adj

Meaning 6

In accordance with a bidding convention, as opposed to a natural bid.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: bridge, games

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: artificial

Antonyms: natural

7

noun

Meaning 7

A conventional gilt-edged security, a kind of bond paying the holder a fixed cash payment (or coupon) every six months until maturity, at which point the holder receives the final payment and the return of the principal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: business, finance

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective

Meaning 8

following accepted customs and proprieties

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • conventional wisdom
  • she had strayed from the path of conventional behavior
  • conventional forms of address

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: unconventional

9

adjective

Meaning 9

unimaginative and conformist

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • conventional bourgeois lives
  • conventional attitudes

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: unconventional

10

adjective

Meaning 10

(weapons) using energy for propulsion or destruction that is not nuclear energy

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • conventional warfare
  • conventional weapons

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: nuclear

11

adjective satellite

Meaning 11

in accord with or being a tradition or practice accepted from the past

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a conventional church wedding with the bride in traditional white
  • the conventional handshake

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

adjective satellite

Meaning 12

rigidly formal or bound by convention

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • their ceremonious greetings did not seem heartfelt

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: ceremonious

Antonyms: none provided

13

adjective satellite

Meaning 13

conforming with accepted standards

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a conventional view of the world

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: established

Antonyms: none provided

14

adjective satellite

Meaning 14

represented in simplified or symbolic form

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: formal, schematic

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From convention + -al.

Across languages

Translations

56 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: عُرْفِيّ (ʕurfiyy) — following an accepted principle
  • Catalan: convencional — following an accepted principle
  • Chinese Mandarin: 协定的 — following an accepted principle
  • Dutch: conventioneel — following an accepted principle
  • Esperanto: konvencia — following an accepted principle
  • Finnish: tavanomainen — following an accepted principle
  • Finnish: konventionaalinen — following an accepted principle
  • French: conventionnel — following an accepted principle
  • Galician: convencional — following an accepted principle
  • German: konventionell — following an accepted principle
  • Hindi: पारंपरिक (pāramprik) — following an accepted principle
  • Hindi: परंपरागत (paramprāgat) — following an accepted principle
  • Indonesian: konvensional — following an accepted principle
  • Irish: gnásúil — following an accepted principle
  • Persian: عرفی ('orfi) — following an accepted principle
  • Polish: konwencjonalny — following an accepted principle
  • Polish: konwencyjny — following an accepted principle
  • Portuguese: convencional — following an accepted principle
  • Romanian: convențional — following an accepted principle
  • Russian: общепри́нятый (obščeprínjatyj) — following an accepted principle
  • Russian: конвенцио́нный (konvenciónnyj) — following an accepted principle
  • Spanish: convencional — following an accepted principle
  • Swedish: vedertagen — following an accepted principle
  • Tagalog: kagawianin — following an accepted principle
  • Ottoman Turkish: مسنون (mesnun) — following an accepted principle
  • Ukrainian: загальнопри́йнятий (zahalʹnoprýjnjatyj) — following an accepted principle
  • Ukrainian: конвенційний (kovencíjnyj) — following an accepted principle
  • Vietnamese: tục lệ — following an accepted principle
  • Vietnamese: lẽ thường — following an accepted principle
  • Welsh: confensiynol — following an accepted principle
  • Bulgarian: обикновен (obiknoven) — ordinary, commonplace
  • Bulgarian: традиционен (tradicionen) — ordinary, commonplace
  • Bulgarian: стандартен (standarten) — ordinary, commonplace
  • Catalan: convencional — ordinary, commonplace
  • Chinese Mandarin: 常规的 — ordinary, commonplace
  • Finnish: tavanomainen — ordinary, commonplace
  • French: conventionnel — ordinary, commonplace
  • German: konventionell — ordinary, commonplace
  • German: herkömmlich — ordinary, commonplace
  • Indonesian: konvensional — ordinary, commonplace
  • Irish: gnásúil — ordinary, commonplace
  • Italian: convenzionale — ordinary, commonplace
  • Polish: konwencjonalny — ordinary, commonplace
  • Polish: konwencyjny — ordinary, commonplace
  • Portuguese: convencional — ordinary, commonplace
  • Romanian: convențional — ordinary, commonplace
  • Romansh: convenziunal — ordinary, commonplace
  • Russian: обы́чный (obýčnyj) — ordinary, commonplace
  • Russian: традицио́нный (tradiciónnyj) — ordinary, commonplace
  • Russian: станда́ртный (standártnyj) — ordinary, commonplace
  • Russian: обыкнове́нный (obyknovénnyj) — ordinary, commonplace
  • Russian: общепри́нятый (obščeprínjatyj) — ordinary, commonplace
  • Russian: консервати́вный (konservatívnyj) — ordinary, commonplace
  • Slovene: konvencionálen — ordinary, commonplace
  • Spanish: convencional — ordinary, commonplace
  • Ukrainian: звича́йний (zvyčájnyj) — ordinary, commonplace
Real reading context

conventional in complete knowledge articles