traditional
Noun pluraltraditionals
Pluraltraditionals
- 1Done in the old, usual way, not in a new or different way.
My old school used traditional books, not tablets.
He chose a more traditional job instead of starting his own business.
Similarconventional, established
Oppositeunconventional, modern, alternative
Note
- 2Connected with customs, beliefs, or ways of doing things passed down through generations, often by word of mouth.
Like a story passed from parent to child, year after year.
We follow traditional recipes that my grandmother taught us.
Their wedding included many traditional dances and songs.
- 3Liking old ways and customs, and not keen on changing them.
Like someone who always wants to do things the old, familiar way.
My grandfather is very traditional and dislikes new technology.
She holds traditional views about how a family should be run.
Similarconservative, conventional, old-fashioned, orthodox
Oppositeprogressive, modern, unconventional
- 4Something that is usual, standard, or long-established, rather than something new.
Like choosing the plain, well-known dish instead of a new one on the menu.
When it comes to weddings, she prefers the traditional.
This year's list of popular baby names includes some traditionals, like Emma and James.
UsageOften the traditional: she prefers the traditional. Traditionals can mean old songs or names.
Similarconventional, classic, standard
Note
Less common meanings
- 5Describing the older, fuller set of Chinese characters, not the simplified ones used in mainland China.
Like keeping the full, detailed spelling of a word instead of a shortened version.
The storybook is printed in traditional Chinese, so each character keeps all its strokes.
Many people in Taiwan learn to write traditional Chinese at school.
UsageUsed in traditional Chinese; the other kind is simplified Chinese.
Oppositesimplified
Note
- 6Short for traditional Chinese: the older, more complex form of Chinese writing used in places like Taiwan and Hong Kong.
The menu was printed in traditional, not the simplified script used on the mainland.
She learned to read traditional before switching to simplified.
UsageSay in traditional, with no a or the.
Note
- 7Someone who holds on to old beliefs and customs.
The study counted him as a traditional because he keeps the old customs.
The researchers split the voters into traditionals and reformers.
Similartraditionalist, conservative
Oppositeprogressive, modernist
- 8Used to credit a song or tune whose composer is unknown.
Like a recipe everyone makes but no one remembers inventing.
This folk song is traditional, so nobody knows who first wrote it.
The hymn is marked traditional in the old songbook.
Similaranonymous
Note
- 9Short for traditional art: art made with real materials like paint or pencils instead of a computer.
- 10Short for traditional grip: a way of holding a drumstick, often used by jazz drummers.
Showing meanings only.
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Origin
It comes from the word "tradition" plus the ending "-al".
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- Traditional comes from tradition plus the suffix -al. en.wiktionary.org