conventional

Pluralconventionals

1. 1
   adjective

   Following generally accepted principles, methods, and behavior.

   She took a conventional approach to teaching, sticking to tried-and-true methods.

   Conventional etiquette requires a guest to thank the host before leaving.

   Similartraditional, orthodox, standard, customary, accepted

   Oppositeunconventional, unorthodox, radical, innovative

   Note

   The word is simply convention plus -al, and this is the sense the others grow from: doing things the agreed, established way. It often marks the familiar option against a newer rival, as when The Economist in 2013 described a moving-platform scheme that still relies on conventional rails, set beside maglev trains. Used like this it is neutral, not a criticism. The sting belongs to the "trite" meaning.

2. 2
   adjective

   Ordinary and commonplace; of the usual, expected kind.

   The film told a conventional story with no real surprises.

   Her tastes are fairly conventional; she likes familiar music and simple food.

   Similarordinary, commonplace, conservative, mainstream, typical

   Oppositeunusual, unconventional, unorthodox, eccentric

   Note

   Here the word turns from methods to people and their habits: conventional clothes, conventional food, conventional hours. In Henry James's The Portrait of a Lady (1908), Isabel answers with "I'm not conventional: I'm convention itself," leaning on the noun inside the adjective. Carl Sagan pairs it with accepted to describe ideas that everyone holds and that often prove wrong. The tone can be mild, but it rarely flatters.

3. 3
   adjective

   Describing a weapon that is not a weapon of mass destruction: that is, not nuclear, chemical, or biological.

   The treaty focused on conventional forces rather than nuclear arsenals.

   Conventional bombs caused most of the damage across the city.

   Similarnonnuclear

   Oppositenuclear

   Note

   A definition by exclusion: in military usage the word means only "not a weapon of mass destruction," so it covers firearms, artillery and high-explosive ordnance alike. It appears in fixed pairings such as conventional weapons, conventional forces and conventional war. It matters most in arms control, where conventional arsenals fall under agreements separate from those governing nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

4. 4
   adjective

   Unoriginal and overused; lacking freshness or imagination.

   His painting was technically skilled but artistically conventional.

   The plot relied on conventional twists that every viewer could predict.

   Similarunoriginal, derivative, formulaic, predictable, hackneyed

   Oppositeoriginal, innovative, fresh, inventive

5. 5
   adjective

   Using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides rather than organic methods of farming.

   The store sells both organic produce and cheaper conventional vegetables.

   Conventional growers apply synthetic fertilizer to boost their yields.

   Oppositeorganic

   Note

   Farming has turned the everyday sense into a label: conventional is the default that organic defines itself against. Growers, stores and shoppers use it as the neutral counterpart in conventional versus organic produce and conventional versus organic farms. The line is drawn by what is permitted, because organic certification standards prohibit the manufactured fertilizers and pesticides that conventional systems rely on.

6. 6
   adjective

   In bridge, describing a bid that conveys a prearranged meaning rather than a natural one.

   Partners agreed on a set of conventional bids before the tournament.

   The two-club opening was conventional, asking for a strong response.

   Similarartificial

   Oppositenatural

   Note

   Here the noun convention is a bridge term in its own right: a partnership's agreed bidding device, such as Stayman or Blackwood. A call made under one is conventional, so its meaning comes from the agreement rather than from the suit or level it names. The opposite term is natural, and artificial is the usual synonym.

7. 7
   nouncountable

   A gilt-edged government bond that pays the holder a fixed coupon every six months until maturity, when the principal is returned.

   The fund manager shifted from equities into a conventional paying a fixed coupon.

   Conventionals appeal to investors who want predictable income until maturity.

   Note

   A noun clipped from the full phrase conventional gilt-edged security, with the regular plural conventionals. In UK government finance it names the plain fixed-coupon gilt. The word gets its point from the contrast with index-linked gilts, whose payments move with inflation. A conventional's coupon stays the same from issue to maturity.

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