nonviolent
Americanadjective
-
not violent; free of violence.
-
peacefully resistant, as in response to or protest against injustice, especially on moral or philosophical grounds.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of nonviolent
Vocabulary lists containing nonviolent
We're not asking, we're demanding: Vocabulary from "Selma," the movie
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: non-
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And it’s odd to see Quaker listed so prominently as their doctrine is famously nonviolent and anti-war.
From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026
"However, this is an extremely unusual and lengthy sentence for a first time offender who committed nonviolent crimes."
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
As mayor, she said, she would have nonviolent jail inmates pick up litter in exchange for time off their sentences.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
Criteria for release eligibility included having served most of a sentence for a nonviolent crime and a record of good behavior, the Catholic Herald reported.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026
During the 1990s, the unemployment rate fell by 2 percentage points; nonviolent crime, meanwhile, fell by roughly 40 percent.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
