Nonstandardized

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not brought into line with a common set of rules, measures, or specifications so that results can be compared
2. Lacking a uniform form, format, or procedure that everyone is expected to follow
3. Varying from one case to another because no agreed common benchmark or template has been applied

Etymology: "Nonstandardized" is about as plain as English word-building gets: the prefix "non-" ("not") attached to "standardized," the past participle of "standardize," which means to bring things into conformity with a single measure, form or procedure. "Standardize" itself comes from "standard," a word that originally named a military banner or flag around which troops rallied, and only later came to mean a fixed measure or rule. Adding "non-" simply reverses that sense, so the word describes something that has not been brought into line with any common norm. The word is used most often of products, tests, data, and systems that lack a common format. A recipe written without set measurements, or a survey whose questions differ from one respondent to the next, would be called nonstandardized. Its meaning follows directly from its parts, with no surprising shift along the way.

Synonyms: nonstandard, unstandardized, irregular, customized

Antonyms: standardized, uniform