Unconventional means doing things in a way that's different from what most people expect or what's considered normal. An unconventional teacher might hold class outside under a tree instead of at desks, or an unconventional artist might create sculptures from recycled materials instead of traditional ones like clay or bronze.

Someone with unconventional ideas approaches problems differently than others might. An unconventional solution to organizing your room might involve hanging shelves from the ceiling or turning old milk crates into storage cubes.

Being unconventional isn't the same as being weird just for attention. It means having genuine reasons for doing things your own way. The Wright brothers were unconventional when they believed humans could fly in heavier-than-air machines. Their approach seemed strange to others, but they had carefully thought through their ideas. An unconventional choice usually takes courage because it means standing apart from the crowd and risking that others might not understand your reasoning right away.

The opposite is conventional, meaning following the standard or expected way of doing things.