Different from what is usual, expected, or approved by tradition; not following standard or conventional methods.
From Greek 'un-' (not) + 'ortho-' (straight/correct) + 'doxa' (opinion), literally 'not right opinion,' entering English in the 1600s to describe religious and intellectual non-conformity.
Einstein's theories were considered wildly unorthodox in 1905—scientists thought his ideas contradicted common sense, but unorthodox thinking has repeatedly proven to be the gateway to revolutionary discoveries that reshape what we thought was 'correct'!
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