nonworking
Americanadjective
-
not employed for a salary, fees, or wages; not producing or generating income.
Our employee medical plan also covers nonworking spouses.
-
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?
-
not functioning or operating.
a nonworking coffee grinder.
adjective
-
not engaged in payed employment
nonworking mothers
-
(of machinery, technology, etc) not operating properly or effectively
nonworking telephones
Etymology
Origin of nonworking
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.
For married couples, that could include contributing to a spousal IRA on behalf of the nonworking spouse or setting aside additional retirement savings with both partners’ futures in mind.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
The initial contribution limit was $1,500; starting in 1977, nonworking spouses could contribute an additional $250.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Legal experts distinguish between “work on Sunday,” which is generally banned, and “work for Sunday”—all the activities needed to ensure a smooth sabbath for the nonworking majority—which is allowed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 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
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
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.
