Conventionality

/kənˌvɛnʃəˈnælɪti/ noun

Definition

The state or quality of being conventional; adherence to established customs, traditions, and social standards.

Etymology

From 'conventional' + '-ity' (abstract noun suffix, from Latin '-itas'). Developed in English usage around the 18th-19th centuries alongside modern concepts of social conformity.

Kelly Says

Oscar Wilde said 'Be yourself; everyone else is already taken'—he was rebelling against the stifling conventionality of Victorian society that demanded everyone fit the same mold.

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