non-

American  

1. a prefix meaning “not,” freely used as an English formative, usually with a simple negative force as implying mere negation or absence of something (rather than the opposite or reverse of it, as often expressed byun- ): nonadherence; noninterference; nonpayment; nonprofessional .

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non- British  

prefix

1. indicating negation

   nonexistent

2. indicating refusal or failure

   noncooperation

3. indicating exclusion from a specified class of persons or things

   nonfiction

4. indicating lack or absence, esp of a quality associated with what is specified

   nonobjective

   nonevent

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Etymology

Origin of non-

A prefix representing the Latin adverb nōn “not”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

non-

Members of this generation, who were born between 1997 and 2012, prefer non- or low-alcohol drinks.

From MarketWatch ● Dec. 23, 2025

And, of course, he’s a longtime chronicler of New York City cultures and characters, fictional and non-, from Travis Bickle to Fran Lebowitz.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2023

He spent about 40 minutes giving his statement, and after that, the court ruled on the motion that the state's attorney brought and vacated a non-

From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2023

The millet system was intended to give non- Muslims a degree of autonomy and the ability to conduct their affairs according to their own customs and norms.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022

The wages and working conditions of the farmworkers in an organic field aren’t much different from those on non- organic factory farms.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

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