Definition of "nonconformist" []

• One who does not conform to, or refuses to be bound by, accepted beliefs, customs, or practices. (noun)
• A member of a Protestant church not observing the doctrines, usage, or polity of a national or established church, especially the Church of England. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Apparently, the way to be coolly nonconformist is strict conformity to a nonconformist trope?"
• "Now that the real West has its own glass office towers, drive-time radio shows, and Olive Gardens, the desire to believe in nonconformist savages, noble or not, may be even stronger."
• "Traditionalists argue that the so-called nonconformist has become the boring norm, and that the nominee or wedding guest who respects the rules has as many ways of expressing his individuality as the one who flouts them."