conventional

Pluralconventionals

1. 1
   adjective

   Following the usual rules or ways that most people accept.

   Like coloring inside the lines instead of trying something new.

   He gave a conventional answer that nobody could argue with.

   Their wedding followed a very conventional plan from start to finish.

   Similartraditional, orthodox, standard, customary, accepted

   Oppositeunconventional, unorthodox, radical, innovative

   Note
2. 2
   adjective

   Ordinary and common, with nothing special or surprising about it.

   Like a plain white t-shirt: common and nothing unusual.

   They live in a conventional house on a quiet street.

   It was a conventional meal, nothing fancy at all.

   Similarordinary, commonplace, conservative, mainstream, typical

   Oppositeunusual, unconventional, unorthodox, eccentric

   Note
3. 3
   adjective

   Used to describe ordinary weapons, not nuclear, chemical, or biological ones.

   Like a regular tool, not a bomb that wipes out a whole city.

   The army used only conventional weapons in the battle.

   Both sides agreed to limit themselves to conventional arms.

   Similarnonnuclear

   Oppositenuclear

   Note
4. 4
   adjective

   Not new or original, just like many other ordinary things.

   Like a joke you've heard a hundred times before.

   The poem felt conventional and a little boring.

   Critics called the design dull and conventional.

   Similarunoriginal, derivative, formulaic, predictable, hackneyed

   Oppositeoriginal, innovative, fresh, inventive

5. 5
   adjective

   Growing food with man-made chemicals to feed plants and kill pests, not organic ways.

   Like using store-bought plant chemicals instead of natural compost.

   Most of the corn here is grown on conventional farms.

   Conventional farming uses chemicals that organic farming avoids.

   Oppositeorganic

   Note
6. 6
   adjective

   In the card game bridge, describing a bid that carries a special agreed meaning, not its plain one.

   Like a secret signal between teammates that means more than the words alone.

   Her opening was a conventional bid that asked about aces.

   A conventional bid in bridge can mean something other than what it says.

   Similarartificial

   Oppositenatural

   Note
7. 7
   nouncountable

   A type of government bond that pays a fixed amount every six months until it ends.

   Like lending money and getting a fixed payment back regularly until you're paid in full.

   She bought a conventional that pays interest twice a year.

   Many investors hold a conventional for its steady payments.

   Note

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