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noncanonical

noncanonical

1 8.3
Outside the usual or official list of important works
  • adjective
  • /nɒnˈkænɪkəl/
  • Literature
translation icon : no canónico
  • The noncanonical works provide alternative perspectives on early Christianity.
  • canonical and noncanonical

Examples

  • Many scholars study noncanonical texts to understand different beliefs that existed in the past.

  • And it is worth noting that these events and objects as texts deserve as close and noncanonical readings as the products of high culture, using many of the techniques of close reading that LaCapra consistently demonstrates.

    Academic text (1997)
  • Noncanonical.

  • The necessary investigation of noncanonical artifacts and their sociopolitical contexts should not replace but supplement a program of noncanonical readings of canonical texts and artifacts.

    Academic text (1997)
  • The necessary investigation of noncanonical artifacts and their sociopolitical contexts should not replace but supplement a program of noncanonical readings of canonical texts and artifacts.

    Academic text (1997)
  • As a response to the challenge of including noncanonical writers, particularly women, in the classroom, the column reflects a need to celebrate the author according to traditional standards: almost every writer praises the poet's skill and the poem's technical sophistication.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • While the Qumran discoveries provide the earliest evidence for the books that make up the canon of the Hebrew Bible as we know it, it is not clear if and how the people behind the scrolls distinguished between canonical and noncanonical books.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Discovery remains the goal of such an enterprise with regard to reading new, that is, noncanonical works as well as rereading the works recognized as canonical with a focus on "the meaning of ... canonicity" (Guillory 248).

    Academic text (1999)
  • The reasons for this are manifold, the foremost being that, even today, with interest in noncanonical texts and divergent interpretive perspectives well integrated into the discipline of English, professional merit and academic accreditation are still grounded in close readings of narratives.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • His research focused on several noncanonical gospels that offer unique insights into religious history.

Synonyms

extracanonical
vsnoncanonical
9.9

Not part of the official texts a group accepts

is broader, about any work not part of the accepted or traditional group
uncanonized
vsnoncanonical
9.2

Not included in the official list of accepted books or works

is general, applying to any works outside the accepted official or traditional group
uncanonical
vsnoncanonical
  • Literature
9.1

Not part of the officially accepted story or rules

is about being outside the accepted official group or list rather than rule breaking
non-official
vsnoncanonical
4.4

Not having formal status or approval

is specifically about being outside the accepted important works list rather than merely lacking status

Antonyms

4 8.1

Officially accepted as a true and important religious text

How Canonical

canonical
4 7.9
unofficial
75 3.8
noncanonical
  • Literature
1 8.3
unorthodox
52 7.3
heretical
  • Formal
13 9.1

Surface Forms

noncanonical positive

Morphology

noncanonical = canonical (transparent) = non + canon + ical

The negative prefix 'non-' is productively attached to the adjective 'canonical' to yield the straightforward meaning 'not canonical'.

Etymology

Noncanonical breaks into non- 'not' and canonical, which comes from canon meaning 'rule' or a 'list of accepted works'. So noncanonical means 'not part of the official or traditional group', which is why we call a book, idea, or version 'noncanonical' when it is outside the usual list.