nonworking

American  

[non-wur-king] / nɒnˈwɜr kɪŋ /

adjective

1. not employed for a salary, fees, or wages; not producing or generating income.

   Our employee medical plan also covers nonworking spouses.

2. not involved in or deriving from labor; not engaged in or directed toward work, especially as an employee.

   What are some of your nonworking activities?

3. not functioning or operating.

   a nonworking coffee grinder.

---

nonworking British  

/ nɒnˈwɜːkɪŋ /

adjective

1. not engaged in payed employment

   nonworking mothers

2. (of machinery, technology, etc) not operating properly or effectively

   nonworking telephones

---

Etymology

Origin of nonworking

First recorded in 1850–55; non- + working

Example Sentences

Her first act as a nonworking person: a solo trip to Scotland, where she took a darning workshop and learned how to repair sweaters.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

For example, photos included in the indictment show the use of a hair dryer to move serial numbers to boxes of nonworking, replicated dummy servers in an attempt to mislead the U.S.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 21, 2026

A change in the 2021 International Fire Code, for example, required that midsize construction sites employ a “fire watch” during nonworking hours.

From Slate • Feb. 28, 2025

I wondered how a nonworking phone, often in forms rendered obsolete by smartphones, could really serve as a tool for grieving.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 30, 2023

Their nonworking lives completely revolved around the Net, trading MP3s, finding software, getting their hands on new games, trying out new operating systems.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz